The 20th International Students Summit
on Food, Agriculture and Environment

Linking Actions, Research and Educationin Agriculture Value Chains to Achieve
Environmental, Social and Economic Sustainability

September 14 - 17, 2021

ONLINE

2021 TOKYO
Organized by
Tokyo University of Agriculture（Tokyo NODAI）

The 20th International Students Summit（ISS）on
Food, Agriculture and Environment
Linking Actions, Research and Education in Agriculture Value Chains to Achieve
Environmental, Social and Economic Sustainability

September 14 - 17, 2021, Online
Statement
The rapid global spread of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic since 2020 has affected millions of people
already made vulnerable by food insecurity and malnutrition, furthering the sustainability crisis the world had been
facing before 2020. This global situation makes it a clearly urgent need to draw together the wisdom and vitality ofyouth, the torchbearers of the future of mankind. There are especially wide-ranging missions for agricultural
students, as agricultural science plays a key role in the solution of fundamental problems in food production andsafety, environmental conservation, energy, and human health. The system of food production and consumption is
without a doubt closely related to the condition of the natural environment, the stage of economic development, andfood culture of each country, and their patterns and problems reflect the regional characteristics. It is thus importantto understand how agriculture and food systems should be organized and maintained in each society.
Tokyo University of Agriculture（Tokyo NODAI）has been organizing the“International Students Summit（ISS）
on Food, Agriculture and Environment”since 2001 to provide students from our global partner universities with anopportunity to gather and exchange views and ideas on global food, agricultural, and environmental issues, and also to
discuss their own roles in sustainable development.
This year, the 20th ISS has been decided to take place on September 14-17, 2021 with the theme of“Linking
Actions, Research and Education in Agriculture Value Chains to Achieve Environmental, Social and Economic
Sustainability,” which was adopted at the 19th ISS in 2019. Due to the pandemic situation, the event will be
exclusively held online. We expect the participating students to share the activities they have undertaken at their
universities during their presentations and discussions. The framework of student activities as to the rationale,methods, implications （economic, social and cultural）, and constraints should be clarified in order to link theircontributions to the solution of global problems for the sustainability of this world.
・Two（＊） presenters were nominated by each participating university. Each presentation must be aligned with oneof the following sub-themes:
Session 1: Students’ Actions in the field of Agriculture
Session 2: Students’ Actions in the field of Environment
Session 3: Students’ Actions in the field of Food
Session 4: Students’ Actions in the field of Education
Session 5: Students’ Actions in the field of Nutrition

（＊）


Upon
the support from MEXT for our ongoing“Inter-University Exchange Project”, our partner universities in Africa were entitled

to nominate 6 presenters.

・All participating universities are required to appoint a faculty advisor for each presenter to provide support
during preparation and ensure the quality of the abstract and presentation.

Organizing Committee& Students CommitteeInternational Students Forum,Tokyo University of Agriculture

1

CONTENTS

Statement of the 20th International Students Summit … ……………………………………… 

1

List of University Student Presenters ……………………………………………………………… 

3

Program ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

8Group Discussions … ………………………………………………………………………………… 

8Voices from Next Generation … ……………………………………………………………………  15
Group Discussion A（Agriculture）…………………………………………………………………  17
Group Discussion B（Education）……………………………………………………………………  29
Group Discussion C（Nutrition）… …………………………………………………………………  39
Group Discussion D（Food）… ………………………………………………………………………  51
Group Discussion E（Agriculture）… ………………………………………………………………  59
Group Discussion F（Education）……………………………………………………………………  75
Group Discussion G（Environment）… ……………………………………………………………  89
Group Discussion H（Nutrition）… ………………………………………………………………… 101
Group Discussion I（Agriculture）… ……………………………………………………………… 113
Group Discussion J（Environment）………………………………………………………………… 125
Group Discussion K（Agriculture）………………………………………………………………… 137
Group Discussion L（Food）… ……………………………………………………………………… 151
Group Discussion M（Agriculture）………………………………………………………………… 167
Materials ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 181
Tokyo Declaration …………………………………………………………………………………… 182
International Students Summit Action Plan ……………………………………………………… 183
Establishing International Students Forum … …………………………………………………… 184
Establishing Global Network for Environment, Food and Agriculture … …………………… 185
Mission Statement of International Students Forum（ISF）… ………………………………… 186
Acknowledgement …………………………………………………………………………………… 187

To the audience of the 20th International Students Summit
The ULR links for the Live Discussion are available on the ISS portal site: https://www.
isstokyonodai.net/
The presentations will be in on-demand format and only the discussion part will be conducted inlive format. The presentation videos of all presenters are available on ISS portal site.
It is highly recommend watching the presentation videos before assisting the Live Discussion.

2

List of University Student Presenters
Student Name

University

Page

Group A（Agriculture）
Chairpersons: Rival Valcin, Mozelle Millenas Ramos
Alena Ivankova

Far Eastern Federal University

18

Yuxin Hao

Beijing Forestry University

21

Santiago Rosell

Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina

24

Ritesh Kumar Jha

Agriculture and Forestry University

27

Group B（Education）
Chairpersons: Sophavina Bunthan, Ognen Onchevski
Addy Stuever Battel

Michigan State University

30

Isabela Butturi Gevartoski

University of Sao Paulo

33

Yasmin Kamila

IPB University

36

Group C（Nutrition）
Chairpersons: Claudia Fiorella Ortega Morales, Yuka Nakamura
Terry Lin

Western Sydney University

40

Onnalin Wiriyasumon

Kasetsart University

42

Mayara Sartori

University of Sao Paulo

45

Hanh Nhung Nguyen

Tokyo University of Agriculture48

Group D（Food）
Chairpersons: Ramadhina Putri Indraswari, Daiki Nakai
Achitphon Teeraruangchaisri

National Chung Hsing University

52

Salma Ghanem

The University of British Columbia

54

Sumit Sharma

Agriculture and Forestry University

56

Group E（Agriculture）
Chairpersons: Muy Leang Kim, Parminder
Karen Coria Chagoya

UniLaSalle

60

Warren H Kilemile

Sokoine University of Agriculture

63

Joan Murugi Macharia

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

65

Sahitha Lochana Karapitiya

University of Peradeniya

68

Somara Oum

Tokyo University of Agriculture

71Group F（Education）
Chairpersons: Sophavina Bunthan, Ognen Onchevski
Patcharawit Wilaikaew

Kasetsart University

76

Sakshi Chugh   

Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University

78

Mercey M Laban

Sokoine University of Agriculture81

Joy Njeri WachiraJomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

84

R Imam Nuryaman K

IPB University

86

Group G（Environment）
Chairpersons: Fredrick Mwaikenda Mussa, Parneel
Euan Tomes

University of the Highlands and Islands

90

Igor Cemercic

University of East Sarajevo

92

Sofia Salnyk

National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine

95

Julius Mwangi Kamita

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

983

Group H（Nutrition）
Chairpersons: Isaac Otieno Ogallo, Fariza Junialfatiha
Mariam Galstyan

Far Eastern Federal University

102

Oulaiphone Ouankhamchanh

National University of Laos

105

Jenipha B Mayenga

Sokoine University of Agriculture

107

Maryiano Keziah Anyango Awino

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

110Group I（Agriculture）
Chairpersons: Muy Leang Kim, Parminder
Rachel Drobnak

Michigan State University

114

Yong-Sin Lo

National Chung Hsing University

117

Vatsal Arora

Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University

119

Intan Afiqah Ahmad Fadzil

Universiti Putra Malaysia

122Group J（Environment）
Chairpersons: Somara Oum, Junya Kodama
Thuy Thi Thu Cao

Vietnam National University of Agriculture

Canh Duc Nguyen

Vietnam National University of Agriculture

Érica Coutinho David

Rural Federal University of Amazon

129

Angelica Tso

The University of British Columbia

132

Keiji ArosteguiTokyo University of Agriculture

135

126

Group K（Agriculture）
Chairpersons: Rival Valcin, Mozelle Millenas Ramos
Bethanie Haase

Western Sydney University

138

Kim Kufazvineyi

UniLaSalle

141

Irene Akinyi

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

144

Dematagolle Wedaralalage
Ovin Jetha Amaratunga

University of Peradeniya

147

Group L（Food）
Chairpersons: Fredrick Mwaikenda Mussa, Neo Kawana（Assistant chairperson: Saki Fujita）
Alona Lebedko

National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine

152

Rehema Erasto

Sokoine University of Agriculture

154

Joyline Cheptoo

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

157

Martijn Wals

Wageningen University & Research

160

Iqra Amin

University of Reading

163

Group M（Agriculture）
Chairpersons: Marvin Kibalama Bogere, Miyuri Takahashi
James Jacek

University of the Highlands and Islands

168

Verica Prodanovic

University of East Sarajevo

171

Lupakisyo Mwakyusa

Sokoine University of Agriculture

173

Melissa Mei Teng Lok

Universiti Putra Malaysia

176

Yuzu Nakano

Tokyo University of Agriculture179

All the chairpersons are students representing Tokyo University of Agriculture

4The 20th ISS Participating Universities

①
⑰㉕ ㉔
⑫

⑱

⑲

Tokyo
Universityof Agriculture

⑯

④

⑮

⑭
⑬

㉖

②
⑳
⑨ ㉒
㉑

⑩

⑦
⑧

⑨ Kasetsart University⑩ National Chung Hsing University⑪ The University of British Columbia⑫ UniLaSalle⑬ Sokoine University of Agriculture⑭ Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture andTechnology⑮ University of Peradeniya① Far Eastern Federal University② Beijing Forestry University③ Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina④ Agriculture and Forestry University⑤ Michigan State University⑥ University of São Paulo⑦ IPB University⑧ Western Sydney University

6

⑪

kyo
versity
Agriculture

⑤

㉖

③

⑥㉓

㉒ Vietnam National University of Agriculture㉓ Rural Federal University of Amazon㉔ Wageningen University & Research㉕ University of Reading㉖ Tokyo University of Agriculture⑯ Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural
University⑰ University of the Highlands and Islands⑱ University of East Sarajevo⑲ National University of Life and Environmental
Sciences of Ukraine⑳ National University of Laos
㉑ Universiti Putra Malaysia

7

Program*Please note that there may be many sessions occurring simultaneously

Wednesday, September 15th
9：00 AM（Japan time）

Group A: Students’ Actions in the Field of“Agriculture”

https://youtu.be/tqiQe4VP38U【Biochar and physical properties in Luvic Anthrosols】
Alena Ivanovna, Far Eastern Federal University
https://youtu.be/tP5a5cMPLtI【Strategies of Rural Agriculture Development from Landscape Perspective: A Case Study of Linxian, Shanxi
Province】
Yuxin Hao, Beijing Forestry University
https://youtu.be/4Q6dApHVsIM【The sustainability of peat use in plant nurseries in Peru】
Santiago Rosell, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina
https://youtu.be/JNsfzMcWQto【Productivity and Profitability of Mandarin Orange Production in Nepal】
Ritesh Kumar Jha, Agriculture and Forestry University
https://youtu.be/hb53ASs--eM

9：00 AM（Japan time）

Group B: Students’ Actions in the Field of“Education”

https://youtu.be/J_b91z6h6K8【Empowering Youth Through Community Food Security Efforts】
Addy Stuever Battel, Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
https://youtu.be/NHGomij2x_0【Environmental education with children about the water usage】
Isabela Butturi Gevartoski, University of São Paulohttps://youtu.be/wPX-_ecSkps【Localite: Empowering Youth through Community-Based Local Development in Supporting Indigenous andLocal Food System to Achieve Food Security and Sustainable Development】
Yasmin Kamila, IPB University
https://youtu.be/2Tbr7oT5tes

8

10：40 AM（Japan time）

Group C: Students’ Actions in the Field of“Nutrition”

https://youtu.be/-3Zg-Bs16bo【Vegetable protected cropping in warm climates】
Terry Lin, Western Sydney University, Sydney
https://youtu.be/nMk70UsLGNE【Thriving food innovation in Thailand by the BCG model】
Onnalin Wiriyasumon, Kasetsart University
https://youtu.be/y7uJe2vzl6U【Precision Agriculture as a Solution for Current Problems】
Mayara Sartori, University of São Paulohttps://youtu.be/pUQxYGXzo4o【An alternative to animal testing on food: Using a skin equivalent to test the anti-aging effect of functional
food for responsible production and sustainable life on land】
Nguyen Hanh Nhung, Tokyo University of Agriculture
https://youtu.be/tEw9bXi1SY0

10：40 AM（Japan time）

Group D: Students’ Actions in the Field of“Food”

https://youtu.be/Pyb2lEmzEHk【Moving toward sustainable circular economy through insect biotreatment】
Achitphon Teeraruangchaisri, National Chung-Hsing University
https://youtu.be/jr8PD4O_Prk【Creating a Culturally Appropriate Pantry Purchasing Guide for Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic】
Salma Ghanem, University of British Columbia
https://youtu.be/55vEKR1LYJ0【Prevalence of NTS Salmonella, Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern and Risk Factors on Commercial Poultry
Value Chain in Chitwan, Nepal】
Sumit Sharma, Veterinary Sciences and Fisheries, Agriculture and Forestry University
https://youtu.be/4IrdY4--PLo9

16：00 PM（Japan time）

Group E: Students’ Actions in the Field of“Agriculture”

https://youtu.be/SsavodjY48w【Thinking about access to healthy and sustainable food as a common good for all to achieve Environmental,
Social and Economic Sustainability】
Karen Coria Chagoya, UniLaSalle
https://youtu.be/IhNNNwzxJEg【Storage Stability Assessment of the Meat Tenderizer Blend with Pawpaw-Ginger to Determine Its Shelf Life】
KILEMILE WARREN HENRY, Sokoine University of Agriculture
https://youtu.be/mU5xRo4RZMc【Socio-economic Factors Influencing Select African Indigenous Vegetables’ Productivity amongst Smallholder
Farmers. A case study of Kabete Sub-County, Kiambu County, Kenya】
Joan Murugi Macharia, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
https://youtu.be/5X1HoSGcljQ【Knowledge Dissemination by Linking Actions and Research: Solutions for the Problems Faced by the Farmers
in Sri Lanka】
Sahitha Lochana Karapitiya, University of Peradeniya
https://youtu.be/Ska-tlaZnG4【Promotion of Organic Farming in Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia】
Oum somara, Tokyo University of Agriculture
https://youtu.be/U34ZTjjRnkw

16：00 PM（Japan time）

Group F: Students’ Actions in the Field of“Education”

https://youtu.be/6hFTNtYMtBY【Application of Image Classification Model in agricultural insect’s management】
Patcharawit Wilaikaew, Kasetsart University
https://youtu.be/EKcU-HiBO9A【Engaging Youth in Indian Agriculture Education for Ensuring Food and Environmental Security】
Sakshi Chugh, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University
https://youtu.be/IKsVb9InICM【Personal factors affecting consumer purchasing decisions towards women skin care products（A case study at
Saba Saba ward in Morogoro Municipality）】
Mercey M Laban, Sokoine University of Agriculture
https://youtu.be/4A5LvbbesoU【Development and assessment of the physiochemical characteristics of cookies made using a flour blend ofwheat, sesame seeds and Bambara groundnut.】
Wachira Joy Njeri, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
https://youtu.be/9zkL0yNfYsc【Farmer Ranger: A New Paradigm Shift of Youth Agriculture Development in Indonesia by Optimizing Local
Institution and Ag Big Data】
R Imam Nuryaman K, IPB University
https://youtu.be/knK_l8mBXFA

10

17：40 PM（Japan time）

Group G: Students’ Actions in the Field of“Environment”

https://youtu.be/61C7q9hk6Hk【Deer Management Practices in European Forestry and their Potential Future Applications in Scottish Forestry】
Euan Tomes, University of the Highlands and Islands
https://youtu.be/k2X53B9-m5k【Geographic Information System in environmental protection】
Igor Cemercic, University of East Sarajevo
https://youtu.be/stv65fxiPL0【Environmental education in National university of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine and youth initiatives in Ukraine】
Sofiia Salnyk, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine
https://youtu.be/vg54pGg5-d4【Eco-tourism For Sustainable Environmental Conservation】
Julius Mwangi Kamita, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
https://youtu.be/JkrRwiP-hcQ

17：40 PM（Japan time）

Group H: Students’ Actions in the Field of“Nutrition”

https://youtu.be/qGHK4uBV0SQ【Bakery product development using stevioside】
Galstyan Mariam Vardanovna, Far Eastern Federal University
https://youtu.be/4_G3Hs9n1QA【Contributing Sustainable Development goal for Food System in Lao PDR.】
Oulaiphone Ouankhamchanh, National University of Laos
https://youtu.be/DrCq1XmF9dg【Food and Dietary Related Non-Communicable Diseases in Tanzania】
Jenipha B. Mayenga, Sokoine University of Agriculture
https://youtu.be/_x91cjWUCUw【Solar Dehydration Characteristics of Papaya（Carica papaya）】
Maryiano Keziah Anyango Awino, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
https://youtu.be/XCoEatnIdjA

11

Thursday, September 16th
9：00 AM（Japan time）

Group I: Students’ Actions in the Field of“Agriculture”

https://youtu.be/DLonNgMQ7FA【What do we lose when unfettered capitalism meets under-utilized species?】
Rachel Drobnak, Michigan State University
https://youtu.be/VvU1gbfy8Lc【Raise the awareness of agricultural water shortage issue among new generation in Taiwan】
Yong-Sin Lo, National Chung-Hsing University
https://youtu.be/gZMveBsYVpU【Agriculture for youth】
Vatsal Arora, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University
https://youtu.be/ORAr0id7s5U【Freezing Method on Minimally Processed Durian for Long Term Storage】
Intan Afiqah Ahmad Fadzil, Universiti Putra Malaysia
https://youtu.be/EK-Pt9stND4

9：00 AM（Japan time）

Group J: Students’ Actions in the Field of“Environment”

https://youtu.be/C9Wxg2UuBJ4【The changes on the consuming habits of Vietnamese youth to deal with microplastic pollution】
Nguyen Duc Canh, Cao Thi Thu Thuy, Vietnam National University of Agriculture
https://youtu.be/LSk41T-lM2U【Using agro-industrial by-products to achieve sustainable livestock production in Brazilian Amazon】
Érica Coutinho David, Federal Rural University of Amazon
https://youtu.be/N2A1vQGLW-Y【Incentivizing Reuse Culture in Metro Vancouver through a Mobile App Program】
Angelica Tso, The University of British Columbia
https://youtu.be/5LCKBjHRzxM【Soil Organic Carbon（SOC）Importance and its influence on Climate Change: an approach new mitigation
method】
Arostegui, Keiji, Tokyo University of Agriculture
https://youtu.be/nVxqrue2I6w

12

16：00 PM（Japan time）

Group K: Students’ Actions in the Field of“Agriculture”

https://youtu.be/CTZL0H-C8rs【Protected Cropping in Australia Emerging Technologies in Novel Environments】
Bethanie Haase, Western Sydney University
https://youtu.be/oaYFSKHk0ec【INCREASE OF DROUGHT TOLERANCE IN MAIZE THROUGH THE USE OF GENETIC MODIFICATIONUSING SbABI5 FROM SORGHUM】
KIM KUFAZVINEYI, UniLaSalle
https://youtu.be/q_OYDqPHi9k【Quality Improvement of Cocopeat as a Propagation Media through Composting as a Desalinization Procedure】
Irene Akinyi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
https://youtu.be/UpZnkBb8a4Y【Changing the Existing Social Identity of a Farming Community to Sustain Their Lives】
Dematagolle Wedaralalage Ovin Jetha Amaratunga, University of Peradeniya
https://youtu.be/9-7Gbkrrkfw

16：00 PM（Japan time）

Group L: Students’ Actions in the Field of“Food”

https://youtu.be/uJqUL2i1r7s【Competitiveness of Ukrainian agricultural products】
Alona Lebedko, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine
https://youtu.be/IvAyccOiykI【Use of Bio-Fungicidal Extracts in Managing Seed-Borne Fungi for Improved Maize Seed Germination in
Morogoro, Tanzania】
Rehema Erasto, Sokoine University of Agriculture
https://youtu.be/WrWpO528xzs【Effect of Different Processing Techniques on the Biochemical Composition of Purple Tea（Camellia sinensis
var. kitamura）】
Joyline Cheptoo, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
https://youtu.be/1lFBuDCRAfk【The Effect of Retail Promotions on the Price Elasticity of Demand of Conventional and Organic Food Products】
Martijn Wals, Wageningen University
https://youtu.be/XfbColvQ8xE【Tackling Food Waste for a More Sustainable Food System】
Iqra Amin, University of Readinghttps://youtu.be/GQ388rjTqMk

13

17：40 PM（Japan time）

Group M: Students’ Actions in the Field of“Agriculture”

https://youtu.be/wF-eDdQwZEU【Breaking Down Barriers Between Forestry and Agriculture within Scotland】
James Jacek, University of the Highlands and Islands
https://youtu.be/BiRxegvQTW4【Organic Animal husbandry】
Verica Prodanovic, University of East Sarajevo
https://youtu.be/Wf1TwDXr9Bg【Characterization of selected rice landraces tolerance to flooding in Tanzania】
Mwakyusa Lupakisyo, Sokoine University of Agriculture
https://youtu.be/3JcZRwEst6g【Application of Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria（PGPR）on Cucumis melo to Enhance Plant Growthand Fruit Quality】
Melissa Lok Mei Teng, Universiti Putra Malaysia
https://youtu.be/p0k_wyWh9H8【The CHINAMPAS ～ Aztec technology will help developing Agriculture ～】Yuzu Nakano, Tokyo University of Agriculture
https://youtu.be/bmd_A8EvqCs

14

Voices from Next Generation
High School Students’ Presentations
1【An Effective Use of Blueberry Leaves: Utilization of Agricultural Waste】
Mana Iizuka
Senior High School at Sakado, University of Tsukuba
https://youtu.be/ISSoMpz5vrY2【Utilization of Coppice Woodlands through Cultivation of Japanese Yams】
Ikumi Kanaya
Senior High School at Sakado, University of Tsukuba
https://youtu.be/kuXYy5g7VF43【Conservation Oriented Agriculture: What we consumers can do】
Aisa Amano, Tamaki Hoshino, Tohei Doi
The First High School, Tokyo University of Agriculture
https://youtu.be/h26il9EBm2U

4【How to make the world of endangered animals better】
Hina Samata, Yuka Teshima, Yuka Otomo, Shogo Sekiguchi, Miyu Higuchi, Soshu Ikeda, Kenshi Sorimachi,
Toi Sato
The Second High School, Tokyo University of Agriculture
https://youtu.be/WICOKeDhTaw

5【Gender Gap】
Miru Fukuda, Rin Nakanishi, Kurumi Horie, Chiseri Matsumoto, Karen Miyata
The Second High School, Tokyo University of Agriculture
https://youtu.be/0ov9meXhcrE

6【Investing in Children through Foodbank】
Sena Kazama, Katsuhiro Teraya, Shogo Shimada
The Third High School, Tokyo University of Agriculture
https://youtu.be/-xI9GTiAoZk

7【The Inquiry-Based Study of Sustainable Development Goals】
Ami Kimura, Yuka Matsumoto, Hirotsugu Nakamura
The Third High School, Tokyo University of Agriculture
https://youtu.be/bPk3-jvzihk

Message from Elementary School Students
Toka Elementary School, Tokyo University of Agriculture
https://youtu.be/iHmPmTJ4OvA

15

Group A
Group theme

Agriculture
Presenters:

Alena Ivanovna, Far Eastern Federal University
Yuxin Hao, Beijing Forestry University
Santiago Rosell, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina
Ritesh Kumar Jha, Agriculture and Forestry University
Chairpersons:

Rival Valcin, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Mozelle Millenas Ramos, Tokyo University of Agriculture

17

Biochar and physical properties in Luvic Anthrosols
Alena Ivanovna
Advisor: Brikmans Anastasia Vladimirovna
Far Eastern Federal University, Soil Science department

Safe and sustainable food production on healthy soils is one of the main goal for themodern society in the face of limited resources of the planet. Among the main properties of thesoil, density settings occupy a special place. On the base of the density of soil provides thecalculations and quantitative assessment, such information is necessary for understanding soil
processes of water movement in the soil, growth of the roots, air exchange, redox reaction andother important factors. Use of green technologies for agriculture are modern trend in soil
science. These methods include the application of biochar as a meliorant of agricultural soils.
Biochar is a biomass of black carbon produced by low temperature pyrolysis（e.g. manure,organic waste, bioenergy crops, plant residues）in an oxygen-free or low oxygen environment.
Biochar, as a soil builder, significantly improves many of the physical properties of the soil
and can positively influence the growth of roots or mycorrhiza in the soil, increasing the abilityof plants to absorb water or nutrients. The field experiment was in 2018 - 2020 on the territoryof the Primorskaya Vegetable Experimental Station of the All-Russian Scientific ResearchInstitute of Vegetables（Surazhevka village, Primorsky Territory, Russian Federation）, Luvic
Anthrosols（FAO&IUSS, 2015; Popova, 2019）were selected as the objects of research. Biochar
produced from wood residues of Betula alba was used as an meliorant to improve soil porosity（Bovsun, 2020）. Doses of biochar application on the experimental sites were 1 and 3kg /m2.
The determination of soil density was carried out in samples with undisturbed composition,
taken into metal cylinders. The density of the solid phase of soils was determined by thepycnometric method（Kachinsky, 1965）.
The experimental site was divided into 3 parts: without of biochar（control）,with biochar
1 kg of（1 kg/m2）and 3 kg of biochar（3 kg/m2）. Crop rotation shows in table 1. Soil porosity
measurements were carried out before the growing season（May）and after it（October）from2018 to 2020.
Table 1. Field experiment during 2018-2020
Year

Experimental plots
0 kg/m

1 kg/m2

2

2018

Cabbage

2019

Soybean

2020

Green grass

3 kg/m2

Density and porosity of the soil. Studies have shown that the values of the field density（Table 2）are in the range of 0.89-1.24 g/cm3, the density of the solid phase is 2.41-2.8 g/cm3.
Based on the data on soil density and solid phase density, the porosity of the studied Luvic
Anthrosols was calculated.
At the beginning of the growing season in 2018, the porosity of agricultural soils wascharacterized as satisfactory. At the end of the 2018 growing season, an improvement inporosity was found in the control sample, which corresponded to the transition of the soil to an
18

excellent indicator for arable horizons. At a dose of biochar of 1 kg/m2, by October 2018, an
increase in the porosity index of agricultural soils, an excessively porous estimate. The
application of a biochar dose of 3 kg/m2 also leads to a significant increase in porosity and its
transition from a satisfactory to an excessively porous state. A year after the application ofbiochar（2019）, at the beginning of the growing season, porosity indicators in the control plot
deteriorated. Biochar dose at 1 kg/m2 excessively porous structure turned into an excellent one,
also biochar at dose at 3 kg/m2. At the end of the growing season of 2019, the number of poresdecreased in all observed samples; in the control, and was assessed as satisfactory, turning into
unsatisfactory for the arable horizons. Biochar dose at 1 and 3 kg/m2 there was a transition
from excellent porosity to satisfactory.
Table 2. Physical parameters of soils during 2018-2020
May 2018
ObjectControl
1 kg/m2

3 kg/m2

October 2018

Porosity

Granulometriccomposition［3］

Antierosion
resistance

Porosity

53

Light clay

average62
68

60

1 kg/m2

57

3 kg/m2

58

Heavy loam

56

1 kg/m2

53

3 kg/m2

57

Light clay

low
average

October 2019average50

average

51

low

54

May 2020
Control

Antierosion
resistancelow

64

May 2019
ControlGranulometriccomposition［3］

average
Heavy loam

low
low

October 2020
average

Heavy loam

average-low

Granulometric composition of soils. Agrosoils in May 2018（before the introduction ofbiochar）were light clay in terms of granulometric composition（table 2）. In October 2018 thegranulometric composition did not change（light clay）.
In May 2019, a year after the start of the experiment, the particle size distributionchanged from light clay to heavy loam, which could have been triggered by appropriate presowing treatment. In October 2019 and May 2020, the granulometric composition did notchange and is a heavy loam. When comparing the granulometric composition of October 2019and May 2020, only a slight change in the ratio of particles in the fraction of physical clay was
revealed, without changing the name.
Biochar in long-term dynamics improves the granulometric composition of Luvic
Anthrosols. During the year of the experiment, the soils gradually changed from light clay toheavy loam, which corresponds to a lighter granulometric composition and an improvement in
the quality of surface horizons for their use in agriculture.
Anti-erosion resistance of soils. The anti-erosion resistance of soils characterizes theability of soils to withstand the washing away effect of a water flow or the mutual effect ofwater flow and rain drops, the value is expressed by the erosion flow rate, determined by thesize of the water-resistant aggregates and their adhesion to each other. Biochar affects the19physical properties of agricultural soils, assessing their changes, it is possible to identify theeffect of biochar on the anti-erosion resistance of soils.
In October 2018, the anti-erosion resistance is mainly low, however, in the variant with theuse of biochar at a dose of 3 kg/m2, it is average, despite the 4-time inter-row cultivation. At the
beginning of the growing season （May） 2019, the indicators of anti-erosion resistance are
average, except for the option at a dose of 3 kg, where the indicator decreases and becomeslow. In the end of the growing season （October 2019）, the anti-erosion resistance ispredominantly low. It should be noted that this year was characterized by a significant amountof rainfall throughout the growing season.
In May 2020, the test plots were left fallow and therefore were not actively machined. In
the control variant, it is average, but in the variant with the use of biochar at a dose of 3 kg/m2,
this indicator is low. It should be noted once again that these soils were not processed during
the entire growing season, however, an indicator that, in general, the anti-erosion resistance ishigher than in the same areas after steam at the beginning of 2018 before the introduction ofbiochar and planting of cabbage.
Biomass. During the growing season of 2018, white cabbage was grown in the studied
areas, the plant biomass increases（table 3）. For example, in the area without biochar thelowest value was both the total biomass of cabbage from the site and the average biomass of
one unit. At the site with a dose of 3 kg/m2 of biochar － the highest value of the cabbage
biomass.
According to the data for the growing season of 2019, there was no significant differencein the soybean biomass when applying different doses of biochar. Probably, the lack ofcorrelations is associated with abnormally wet conditions during this growing season.
Table 3. Plant biomass of agricultural crops, 2018-2019
Biomass of cabbage

Biomass of soybean

Plot

Total biomass,
kg/number ofunits from plot

Average biomass,
kg/unit

Total biomass,
kg/plot

Average biomass,
kg/m2

Control

23.420/45

0.520

52.7042.440

1 kg/m2

49.480/45

1.110

45.4462.104

3 kg/m

71.382/48

1.487

50.3282.330

2Conclusion. In general, over the three years of the experiment, biochar as a structure ofsoils had a positive effect on the granulometric composition of Luvic Anthrosols, making iteasier. As a result of the biomass study, it was concluded that the introduction of biochar inheavy soils by granulometric composition has a positive effect on the crop productivity. There
was also a correlation between the dose of biochar application and the biomass of whitecabbage. With an increase in the dose of biochar application, the biomass of cabbage increased.
References
Bovsun, M. （2020） Changes in the composition and properties of biochar after one-year
application. E3S Web of Conferences.
FAO and IUSS（2015）.World Reference Base for Soil Resources.
Kachinsky, N.A.（1965）.Soil Physics［in Russian］.
Popova A.D. （2019）. The use of biochar as an ameliorant and its effect on the change ofphysical properties of agricultural soils in the south of the Primorskiy region.
20Strategies of Rural Agriculture Developmentfrom Landscape Perspective:
A Case Study of Linxian, Shanxi Province
Yuxin Hao
Advisor: Shiyang Zhang
Beijing Forestry University
School of Landscape Architecture
Landscape Architecture

China has been an agricultural country since ancient times, with a long history of farming.
People settled in rich land and lived here for generations, and then they have a special feelingof dependence and belonging to the land. Gradually, a human settlement environment centeredon agriculture was formed.
The geology and landforms in China are varied, so in order to adapt to the local natural
conditions, people use different ways to rebuild environment. So that farming methods,
territorial landscape and vernacular settlements are different from place to place. Terrain of
China is high in the west and low in the east, and can be divided into three terraces.
Historically, the large-scale development of China’s land originated in river valley basin in thesecond terrace（Wang, 2018）, where the land is conducive to crop growth. Therefore, villages
and cities gathered around here.
The rich geomorphic features gave birth to the rich man-land relationship. People selecta suitable place to settle down. In order to carry out agricultural activities better, people build
water conservancy facilities and transform the texture of the land. This unique way of landarrangement and utilization has led to the traditional landscape of China, including both
artificial and natural elements, which formed the landscape system integrating mountain, water,
field and city.（Wang, 2018）
But nowadays, with the acceleration of urbanization, the land problem also springs up.
First of all, the rapid development of land resources has caused serious damage to theenvironment and the featured regional landscape. For example, the pesticide pollution on theland surface, soil salinization, desertification, soil erosion, decrease of arable area（Kong, 2019）
and the homogenization of villages and cities. Secondly, traditional farming patterns are nolonger suitable, land use needs to be innovated and transformed. These are all environmental
problems and challenges that we face today.
At the beginning of last year, the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 changed the world
dramatically. While I was quarantined at my grandmother’s home in countryside, I start tothink about how rural agriculture like here adapt to the modern society from the perspective oflandscape.
My grandmother’s home is located in Linxian, Shanxi Province, which belongs to the loessplateau of the second terrace, where the gullies are deep and steep, and the terrain is broken.
The rivers in Linxian belong to the Yellow River system, and the utilization rate of surface
21

water is only 27.7%, so the irrigation water cannot be guaranteed.（Xue, 2020）
Linxian is also a traditional agricultural county with 1073 square kilometer of cultivatedland, including 30 square kilometer of high-yield first-grade land and 51 square kilometer of
second-grade land. Other cultivated land is sloping land with low soil nutrient content orshallow beach land （Wu, 2016）, which has serious soil erosion and low land productivity
problems.
Linxian is located in the mountains. People reserved the relatively flat land for farmland,built caves along the contour of the hillside nearby rivers（Li, 2016）, forming settlement layout
closely related to landscape.
Through interviews, I learned from some elderly residents in Linxian that the planting ofLinxian used to be dominated by dates and walnuts. About two decades ago, agricultural
products were sold all over the country, and residents took this as their main source of income.
But in recent years, as every family rushed to grow better-selling industrial crops, there was anexcessive output and value reduction. Meanwhile, with the acceleration of urbanization, all the
young people in rural areas go out to work, leaving only the elderly to farm, and agricultural
products lose their competitive advantage. Now the agricultural products are not even selfsufficient. So, we can see that agriculture has not formed a complete industrial chain in Linxian,
and the role of agriculture has not been fully played. Linxian has even become one of the key
counties for poverty alleviation and development in China.
From the above research and analysis comes the conclusions. Firstly, agriculture has
always been an important system to support human settlements. The living system is a whole,and agriculture is closely related to other parts, which is indispensable in the urban and ruraldevelopment in future China. So, we must solve the problem from the perspective of how toadapt agriculture to modern development.
Secondly, agricultural industry in Linxian is not a system, which can not support thedevelopment of Linxian. From the perspective of my major under the holistic view, this is aproblem of rural agriculture being impacted while fitting in the modern society. On the one
hand, it is an economic problem. For example, as each family decides its own agricultural crops,
Linxian’s agriculture cannot form a well-functioning agricultural value chain, and the current
agricultural industry cannot support Linxian’s economic development at all. On the other hand,rural construction does not pay attention to the protection of regional landscape features. The
urbanization in rural areas makes all villages the same. Many distinctive cultural landscapes
cease to exist, and villages become unrecognizable and uncompetitive, which in turn affects theregional economy.
Based on the problems and conclusions above, I consider and discuss from my professional
perspective that agriculture in Linxian should be developed in combination with scenery andtourism, for agriculture alone is not enough to support its development.The key lies in theprotection and utilization of rural cultural landscape. Perhaps we can put forward some possible
solutions from the perspective of the combination of agricultural value chain and territorial
landscape.
1.Protection. Protect the ecologically fragile natural areas and the distinctive landscape22features.
2.Restoration. Restore the areas where the natural environment has been damaged. Make
full use of modern ecological restoration technology.
3.Renewal. With the purpose of building a characteristic brand for Linxian, we should
adjust the agricultural planting strategy, update the agricultural value chain, fully excavate theregional advantages, and combine local agricultural products with local culture. We should plan
the county’s agricultural system under the holistic view, and enhance the regional uniquenesscomprehensively.
4.Intervention. On the basis of the protection strategy and on the premise of not affecting
the lives of local people and not damaging the local cultural landscape, appropriate modernmeans should be introduced to create an agricultural value chain combining culture andtourism. For example, renovate some of the cave dwellings and turn them into modern
museums and homestays. Build agricultural experience parks that combines science
popularization. Develope jointly with surrounding towns, and comprehensively promote theagricultural, ecology and economic of Linxian.
These four strategies are put forward from the perspective of human, nature and city,take the protection and restoration of natural environment and cultural landscape as the basis,take the renewal and intervention as the main means to improve the economy. These
strategies coordinate with each other, develop together, and reconstruct the agricultural value
chain, so as to achieve the ideal rural agricultural development.
There are many similar rural areas in China. I put forward some development strategy
possibilities from my professional perspective here, hoping that one day we can get rid ofpoverty in these rural areas and retain China’s territorial landscape at the same time.
References

1．孔誉婧．（2019）．乡村土地开发利用过程中的环境保护问题．乡村科技 ，（11）:125-126．

2．李冰倩．
（2016）．基于风水理论的陕北窑洞村落选址与布局研究．硕士学位论文．陕西 : 西安建筑科技大学．

3．王向荣，林箐．
（2018）．国土景观视野下的中国传统山－水－田－城体系．风景园林 ，25（09）:1020．

4．武艳．
（2016）．临县农业可持续发展的影响因素及对策建议．农民致富之友 ，（22）:52．
5．薛晋宇．（2020）．临县水资源开发利用思路探讨．山西水土保持科技 ．（04）:8-10+28．

23

The sustainability of peat use in plant nurseries in Peru
Santiago Rosell
Advisor: Roberto Ugas
Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Peru
Department of Horticulture

The use of peat in plant nurseries has increased over the years in Peru. With agricultural
exports rising up, new markets have opened as well as multiple opportunities for service
businesses, one of these being the value chains of plant nurseries, which are in charge of theinitial process of sowing seed and maintaining seedlings, reducing the costs and logistics of crop
establishment. Peru is now a leading exporter of fruits and vegetables in Latin America and ifgrowth continues the need for specialized nurseries will also grow, including the demand forpeat or similar inputs. Peat has several benefits for nurseries when used as plant substrate: it
increases the water holding capacity, has a good cation exchange capacity, does not containphytotoxic substances, and has a low bulk density（Pascual, 2018）. This product is also used alot for home gardening and ornamental plants in urban settings.
This product is normally extracted from Andean wetlands（peatlands）at high altitudes（over 3000 masl）, which are generally managed by peasant communities. This peat is extracted
by the farmers and sold to private companies or to middlemen, who generally take care ofprimary processing（cleaning, homogenization of particles）and exported or sold to other value
chain actors locally. But Andean wetlands have a key role in the regulation of water in thewatershed and provide ecosystem services（Fonkén, 2014）, so there are various institutions or
projects collaborating with the rural communities in the management of their wetlands and thenegotiations with several stakeholders （Zarabia, 2014）. But the exploitation of wetlands toobtain peat can be highly unsustainable, contributing to ecosystem degradation and weakeningsocial organization linked to it（Zaller, 2007）. Peatlands specifically are very important because
they capture large quantities of carbon dioxide（CO2）and convert it to organically bound forms,
so they have the potential to mitigate climate change（Lilleskov, 2019）. With this we can also
imply that if we do not maintain the peatlands correctly we can contribute to climate change.
Peru is the country with the largest area（50 000 km2, 11% of total）and volume（88 Gm3,
5% of total）of peatlands in South America and fourth in the world（Page et al, 2011）, althougha lot of peat is imported, there has been an increase in peat harvesters, some legal and others
illegal（who are also called “champeros”）. One problem with this is the lack of regulations inthese activities and that the difference between wetlands and peatlands is not clear, as the
Ministry of the Environment has stated: “The general law recognizes the importance of
wetlands, but there is no mention of peatlands”, and that there are several public institutions
with a say in this situation, increasing bureaucracy and the need for multiple coordination（Gutierrez, 2019）. Other factors are affecting peatlands as well: extraction activities like mining,
the construction of roads, illegal change of land use, logging, overgrazing, drainage works, lack24

of data regarding extraction, among others（Gonzales, 2020）.
There are some ways by which markets try to regulate the use of peat. For example, itis accepted in substrates of certified organic operations if it is less than 80% of the mixture,since it is the most common substrate in plant nurseries over the world（ EGTOP, 2013）.Eventhough this maximum is supposed to decline, it has not changed substantially over the years;
nevertheless, having organic certifications or other general certifications rules about the use ofpeat would help a lot to minimize its extraction. New alternatives for peat have appeared in the
Peruvian market, like coconut coir that I am investigating for my graduation research.
A very promising development in Peru is the payment for ecosystem services and in 2021
SEDAPAL, Lima’s public water company, started a project with peasant communities in thehighlands of the Rimac watershed, where Lima is located, investing in training and support forthe conservation of peatlands that help regulate the water available for the city （Forest
Trends, 2021）. At the same time, public opinion is getting more information about theecological and social dangers of the unsustainable extraction of peat in the Andean highlands（Zieger, 2020）.
I think there should be more activities coming from university students about theimportance of maintaining peatlands, especially the Peruvian ones as it is especially importantfor South America. Plenty of consumers are not aware of the damages that comes from using
this substrate and prefer to buy the local peat because of its lower prices not knowing theimplications of choosing it. Just like recycling and other activities, it is important to create
conscience on the consumer mind, and this can be done in universities.
When it comes to replacing peat, the government should conduct more research about
substrates or agronomical practices for replacement, because right now peat is too important in
the industry and the government should help, not only to maintain it but to look for alternatives
and solutions for its replacement or illegal markets will rise when peat is forbidden. In the
research I am doing about coconut coir as a replacement for peat has shown until now that
coconut coir alone is not going to replace peat but mixing coconut coir with other renewable
substrates as compost and other agronomic practices might do.
References
Expert Group for Technical Advice on Organic Production［EGTOP］（2013）. Final report on
greenhouse production, European Commission － Agriculture and Rural Development,
disponible: https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/food-farming-fisheries/farming/
documents/final-report-etop-greenhouse-production.pdf
Fonkén, M. M.（2014）. An introduction to the bofedales of the Peruvian High Andes. Mires andPeat, 15
（5）.
Gammie, Gena（2021）. In high style: natural infrastructure gains momentum in Peru, 4000
meters above sea level. Web page: https://www.forest-trends.org/
Johann G. Zaller（2007）. Vermicompost as a substitute for peat in potting media: Effects ongermination, biomass allocation, yields and fruit quality of three tomato varieties. 112（2）,0-199. doi: 10. 1016/j.scienta. 2006.12.023
Lilleskov, E., McCullough, KHergoualc’h, K. et al （2019）. Is Indonesian peatland loss a25

cautionary tale for Peru? A two-country comparison of the magnitude and causes of tropicalpeatland degradation. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change 24, 591-623. https://doi.org/10.1007/
s11027-018-9790-3
López Gonzales, M., Hergoualc’h, K., Angulo Núñez, Ó., Baker, T., Chimner, R., del Águila
Pasquel, J., ... & Vacalla Ochoa, F.（2020）.¿Qué sabemos sobre las turberas peruanas? CIFOR,
Vol. 208.https://doi.org/10.17528/cifor/007847
Page, S. E., Rieley, J. O., & Banks, C. J.（2011）. Global and regional importance of the tropicalpeatland carbon pool. Global change biology, 17（2）, 798-818. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.13652486.2010.02279.x
Pascual, J.A., Ceglie, F., Tuzel, Y. et al.（2018）Organic substrate for transplant production inorganic nurseries a review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 38, 35. https://doi.
org/10.1007/s13593-018-0508-4
Yoly Gutierrez & Marjorie Ramos.（2019）. ¿Qué pierde el Perú si sigue sin reconocer el enorme
potencial de sus turberas? CIFOR Forests News. Web page. https://forestsnews.cifor.org
Zarabia, Elizabeth （2014）. Benchmarking en el proceso de producción de musgo para
exportación ［Thesis, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina］. Retrieved from: https://
repositorio.lamolina.edu.pe/bitstream/handle/UNALM/3935/E20-Z37-T.pdf?sequence=4&
isAllowed=yZiegler, Gloria（2020）. Arrasar la Tierra: Una comunidad resiste al tráfico de humedales. Web
page: https://ojo-publico.com

26

Productivity and Profitabilityof Mandarin Orange Production in Nepal
Ritesh Kumar Jha
Advisor: Dr. Arjun Kumar Shrestha
Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal

Citrus is a major cultivated fruit in Nepal and mandarin ranks first in terms of area,
coverage and production among other citrus species（AITC, 2020）. Area and production of
citrus fruits have increased in the last five years while productivity has decreased. An increase
in total production of citrus in Nepal is primarily attributed to an increase in the area undercultivation （ARSD, 2006; Paudyal et al., 2002; Subedi & Jacobsen, 2000; Subedi & Acharya,
2008）. In this context, this study was conducted to assess cost, return and profitability; resource
use efficiency, adoption of orchard management practices and their determinants. The study
was conducted in Salyan district of Karnali Province taking data primarily from field survey
conducted in Chhatreshwori and Baghchaur municipalities of the districts. A total of 150
mandarin orange producers were selected randomly and surveyed to collect primary
information required for the study using local enumerators/students studying at Agriculture
and Forestry University, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal. Collected data were entered in MS-Excel andwere analyzed using Stata software. Primary data were analyzed using appropriate analyticaltechniques like mean, frequency, percentage, range, Cobb-Douglas production function, Logistic,
regression analysis, marginal fixed effect analysis and correlation analysis. The study showedthat the total fixed cost shared only 16.65% of the total cost and the cost of human labor sharedhighest among the variable cost. Profitability in terms of gross and net margin from the study
area showed mandarin-based farming system a viable and attractive commercial enterprisewith average gross and net margin of NRs. 108820 and NRs. 92790.75 respectively. Similarly,
average BC ratio over variable cost was 2.36 while average BC ratio over total cost was 1.97
respectively which showed mandarin farming as one of the profitable enterprise in mid-hills of
Nepal. Similar to the finding of present study, Pokhrel（2011）has found BC ratio greater than
one i.e. 2.1 for Udipur and 2.6 for Chitti VDC of Lamjung district respectively. This evidence
was further supported by Gautam et al. （2020） and Regmi et al. （2020） who have foundmandarin production as one of the viable enterprise with the BC ratio greater than one in
Gulmi and Dailekh districts of Nepal respectively. The results further revealed that the laborfactor of production was over-utilized by about 136 percent and need to be reduced with theuse of mechanical tools and other factors of production like manure, fertilizers, micronutrients,
irrigation and pesticides were underutilized. These resources are to be increased in their use
by about 69, 92, 99, 94 and 99 percent respectively for realizing optimum revenue. It was also
found that the return to scale was decreasing（0.733）which suggests that production occurredamong mandarin farmers in the study were in stage 2, a rational stage of production. Study also
revealed that the major factors which are responsible for positive contribution in the adoptionof different management practices were gender and education of household head, land holding,27

economically active members in the family, primary occupation being agriculture, attachment of
mandarin producers in farmers’ group, training and percent of total household income frommandarin crop sub-sector. The different management practices like use of lime in orchard forsoil reclamation, irrigation, north facing of orchard, use of less sloppy area for mandarin orchard
establishment, planting trees in terrace, spacing of more than 4X4 square meter, intercroppingin winter season, intercropping of mandarin with legume, uses of Bordeaux paste, mulching andweeding showed negative correlation between all these management practices and citrus
decline. This means increase in the level of use of all these resources and practices help toreduce the level of citrus decline in mandarin orchard and contribute toward higher
productivity. The result is in line with the finding of Srivastava and Singh（2009）who havestated that the proper management practices as an important remedial solution for citrus
decline in mandarin orchard. Arriving to the concluding remarks, the study justified that there
is enormous scope of increasing productivity and profitability of mandarin orange, and amandarin-based farming system could be one of the possible options for mid-hills of Nepal forcommercialization which can be achieved by increasing the use of underutilized resources andaddressing the factors contributing the adoption of recommended management practices asassessed in this study.
REFERENCES:
AITC. （ 2 0 2 0）. Agricultural Diary. Agriculture Information and Training Center.
Hariharbhawan, Lalitpur.
Gautam, A., Bhattarai, C., Khadka, R., Bhandari, D., & Regmi, R.（2020）.Economics of production
and marketing of mandarin in Gulmi, Nepal. Food & Agribusiness Management, 1（1）,01-04.
Regmi, R., Pandey, S. R., & Regmi, R.（2020）. Economics of mandarin（citrus reticulata blanco）
production in Dailekh, Nepal. Food & Agribusiness Management, 1（1）,10-15.
Pokhrel, C. N. （2011）. Analysis of market chain of mandarin in Nepal: A case of Lamjung
district. Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, Agriculture Production Chain
Management, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
ARSD. 2006. Annual Report 2062/063. Agricultural Research Station （ARS） Dailekh, Nepal
Agricultural Research Council, Dailekh.
Paudyal, K.P., M. Ranjit and Y.H. Shrestha. 2002. Citrus Decline and its Management in Nepal.
National Citrus Research Program, Nepal Agricultural Research Council, Paripatle, Dhankuta,
Nepal.
Subedi, G. D. and H. J. Jacobsen. 2000. Establishment of tissue culture techniques in Citrus
species. In: Proceedings of International Conference on “Biotechnology and Biodiversity”
organized by NBA, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Subedi, G.D and UK Acharya. 2008. Management of Citrus Decline and its rejuvenation
strategies for declining orchards in Dailekh. Paper presented in 5th National conference on
Science and Technology, 10-12 Nov 2008 at Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal.
Srivastava, A. K., & Singh, S.（2009）. Citrus Decline: Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition. Journal of
Plant Nutrition, 32（2）,197-245. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904160802592706

28

Group B
Group theme

Education
Presenters:

Addy Stuever Battel, Michigan State University
Isabela Butturi, University of Sao Paulo
Yasmin Kamila, IPB University
Chairpersons:Sophavina Bunthan, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Ognen Onchevski, Tokyo University of Agriculture29

Empowering Youth Through Community Food Security Efforts
Addy Stuever Battel
Advisor: Rhonda Crackel
Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

In 2014, my hometown（Cass City, Michigan, USA）became a food desert when our only
grocery store closed its doors. As defined by the United States Department of Agriculture,“Low-income census tracts with a substantial number or share of residents with low levels ofaccess to retail outlets selling healthy and affordable foods are defined as food deserts.”（VerPloeg et al., 2011）. Residents would now have to rely on the limited food options provided by
the nearby dollar stores or travel to the nearest supermarket 20 miles away, a drive notattainable for everyone in Cass City.
Shortly after the grocery store closed, 17% of our community was food insecure according
to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings.（“County Health Rankings &Roadmaps” n.d.）As defined by the United States Department of Agriculture, food insecurity “isa household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.”（Coleman-Jensen et al., 2020）This is significant because the community was already lacking inincome, then lost access to the only source of healthy affordable food, and so more people relyon places like food pantries. Cass City is served by one food pantry, a volunteer-led resource
where low-income members of the community can get food at no cost to them, usually once amonth. Approximately 60-80 families visit Cass City’s food pantry each month.
When I volunteered at this local food pantry, I packed food boxes with small amounts ofunappealing sources of protein. A can of beans, a can of tuna and a jar of peanut butter weremeant to supply a family’s need for protein for all three meals over three days. Further, foodpantry goods are often chosen to maximize calories and shelf-stability, not to maximize
nutrition. This was far different from my dinner table with plentiful homegrown beef, pork, andchicken. I recognized there was a need for high-quality sources of protein at the food pantry
and that I was uniquely qualified to meet this need in my community.
I grew up on a farm and as a 4-H member, as did many of my friends, where raising theanimals to feed our families or to sell was common. I saw an opportunity for us to share ourskills in raising farm animals to provide quality protein to local food pantries. At twelve years
old, I recruited three of my friends and we began making regular donations of beef, pork, andchicken from our own farm animals. With some help from our parents, our 4-H leaders, andlocal Michigan State University Extension staff, we founded an organization called Meating the
Need for Our Village.
Our work with Meating the Need for Our Village empowers young people to donate
sources of quality protein to local food pantries by equipping them with skills necessary tofinance and raise animals to feed their community. I also use the organization as a platform totrain other youth outside the project to become hunger fighters, teaching them about the root30

causes of hunger and inequality and equipping them with the tools to fight them.
After six years, regular contributions from Meating the Need for Our Village and othercommunity actors were able to meet seven local food pantries’ needs for meat, and we wanted
to continue providing quality protein in a way that remained relevant to pantry needs. When
local dairy farmers expressed concern about the market for their products, I approached themwith a local solution. I asked them for money to buy milk from local grocery stores tocontribute to the pantry. This request was met with overwhelming support. The milk not only
provided protein to our community, but it filled another important nutritional gap. Milk is an
important source of calcium and vitamin D for growing children and is similarly important for
older adults in our community. In an area with an aging population and poor access to dental
hygiene that leaves some seniors unable to properly chew meat, milk is important for
supporting muscle mass and slowing osteoporosis. Similarly, we eventually began making
regular donations of cheese and eggs.
Over the past six years, Meating the Need for Our Village has had a $62,611 impact
through 11,238 pounds of meat, 3,908 gallons of milk, 680 pounds of cheese, 620 pounds ofbutter, 350 pounds of produce and 329 dozen eggs as well as $1,300 worth of nutrition
education resources donated to seven food pantries. The project has involved more than 500
youth in rising animals and securing donations. Before COVID-19, food insecurity in thecommunity was reduced from 17% to 12%according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
County Health Rankings.（Since the pandemic the rate has risen again slightly to 14%, due tothe compounding economic and public health crises.）
As I neared my final year of high school, I realized I wouldn’t always be around to manage
Meating the Need for Our Village. Although there was a solid core group of volunteers who
would help raise animals, collect and wash eggs, and make milk and cheese pick-ups anddeliveries, there was concern that a “big picture” management structure for the organization
was not in place. I reached out to Michigan State University Extension educators and together
we brainstormed ideas for building a larger body of engagement around Meating the Need for
Our Village and broader food security issues in my hometown.
This resulted in the Cass City Hunger Summit. It took weeks of door-to-door outreach andother promotion, and we brought together 50 people from Cass City — impressive considering
our population is around 2,000 people. At the summit, we organized community members totake collective action against food insecurity: we created action groups to work on bringing a
grocery store to Cass City, created a community garden, and helped Meating the Need for Our
Village gain 501（c）（3）nonprofit NGO status, which is pending. The accomplishments of thegarden action group are noteworthy, as it was completely youth-led and resulted in four raised
bed gardens growing vegetables for the local food pantry.
The next step was building longevity for Meating the Need for Our Village specifically.
The Cass City Hunger Summit helped us identify adult supporters including local 4-H leaders
who would be valuable in maintaining our status as a registered nonprofit, and it rekindled
excitement from core youth volunteers. We developed an organizational structure including a
mission, vision, and bylaws. Today there is a Leadership Team of 16 committed youth and31adults complete with a youth President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer and a youthadult legal Board of Directors.
Meating the Need for Our Village has proven to be an effective model for addressing
community food insecurity. Our organization values youth empowerment, human dignity,
nutrition, and local agriculture. The multifaceted approach empowers young people withleadership skills and provides them with a platform to improve their communities and engages
other community actors all while taking advantage of university extension resources.
References
Coleman-Jensen, A., Rabbitt, M. P., & Gregory, C. A.（2020, September 9）. Definitions of Food
Security. https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/
definitions-of-food-security.aspx.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.（n.d.）. County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. https://www.
countyhealthrankings.org/app/michigan/2021/rankings/tuscola/county/outcomes/overall/snapshot.
Ver Ploeg, M., Nulph, D., & Williams, R.（2011, December 1）. Mapping Food Deserts in the
United States. USDA ERS - Data Feature: Mapping Food Deserts in the U.S. https://www.
ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2011/december/data-feature-mapping-food-deserts-in-the-us/.

32

Environmental education with children about the water usage
Isabela Butturi
Advisor: Prof. Dr. Plínio Barbosa de CamargoCenter of Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of Sao Paulo（CENA － USP）

Water is the most important resource on earth, but only around 3% of it is consumable,
while the other 97% is salty and demands a considerably complicated and expensive process ofdesalination to become suitable for human consumption. From an economical and environmental
point of vital, it is far better to maintain the health and quality of existing freshwater bodies.
Although it is considered a renewable resource, this resource is becoming more and more
scarce and that is a huge problem for the human race’s very existence. Conserving freshwater
bodies is crucial for ensuring our species’ future. Water can be related directly to two
Sustainable Development Goals （SDG）, namely Clean Water and Sanitation （SDGs#6） andLife Below Water（SDGs#14）and can be related indirectly to the other 15 goals（THE 17
GOALS, 2021）. These justify the importance of water for humanity and for the economy ingeneral.
This topic is on the daily life of citizens, as it is in the news, in different social media
segmentation and it is present in curriculum documents, legislation, textbooks and objects ofpedagogical proposals. However, potable water is increasingly deteriorating due to humanactivities, revealing the urgency of actions to recover, conserve and preserve water resources.
Thus, initiatives related to conscious water usage and applicability of these actions must always
be encouraged.
In the Brazilian context, the country has 12% of the whole Earth’s fresh water, so it isimportant to take care of all these resources. Despite owning a great water potential, bad
distribution and water pollution greatly affect the country’s environment. Therefore, education
about preservation is essential for the future of this source. This implies dealing with issues of
educational, cultural, historical, and socioeconomic aspects that make it possible to learn about
the effective field of environmental history, cultural heritage, environmental education, andcommunity environmental management（Hoffman et. al. 2011）.
Student Initiative and Environmental Education
It can be understood that environmental education is a means by which the child begins
to obtain knowledge about environmental issues, in which one starts to have a new vision about
the environment, acting as a transforming agent in relation to environmental conservation（Medeiros et. al. 2019）.
The reason to have children as a target is that critical sense is being formed at this age,
and it makes it easier to consolidate the knowledge in their minds. The act of questioning（withchildren）, by the way, is one of the stages of creative and critical thinking（Ayrton Senna
Institute, 2021）. If they grow up with these values about taking care of the environment, a lot
33

of resources can be saved.
My work includes the development of ludic educational activities regarding the water
subject with children to connect the university environment and students to the community,
judging consumption values for the preservation and sustainable management of water
resources. With these activities, the student’s critical sense and thinking are stimulated byunderstanding how water is related to different aspects of society and nature, based not only on
the reduction of water usage in daily basis, but also understanding that water is involved in
production of food, clothes, and many other products.
Children are able to learn about these facts and interactions by playing games like puzzles,
memory-game, hide and seek objects and other ludic activities with a ‘water theme’ behind it.
They can have fun while learning and it will help consolidate the knowledge without losing theattention or getting bored about the content.
The role of the environmental educator （the university students involved with the
project）is to start a dialogue among the children while the game is being played, asking themquestions, and proposing reflections about the discussed topic. The educator needs to hear thechildren and make questions to nourish the conversations, and at the end of their discussion,
make some points, and answer questions that may arise during the process. In other words, thechild is actually the protagonist of the project: the one who’s going to ask, think, criticize andact, while the educator is only an intermediate, who is going to guide the participants during
the learning dynamics.
This project started in 2019 and is still in progress nowadays. It has reached around 100
students（5-9 years）among private, public and rural schools in Piracicaba’s region（Sao Paulo Brazil）. The challenge that this program has encountered is the lack of opening in thecommunity to the knowledge that is different from the usual ones or already wrongly
consolidated for part of the population, especially for traditional rural communities. It is
expected that this target audience can be reached through the children, so that they can passon the knowledge acquired in the dynamics to their family circles and neighbors.
The youth inside and outside the university can participate in this program by being
involved and applying the activities with their children in families, their neighborhood, and inscientific papers as a way of formalizing the methodology. The project can be molded to fit
specific issues depending on the local community needs, allowing that more people canparticipate in different areas. Thus, environmental education must be prioritized within acontext that works with local environmental problems that are found in daily life and that
directly affects their communities.
In general, it is possible to educate children about water usage and its importance tohuman beings by giving young people and adults a critical sense about the subject, andknowledge about how to preserve this resource. Children are the future of the world and ifthey grow up with a sense of respect for the environment, subsequently, it will be possible tocreate a sustainable future and existence.

34

References
Braga, A. R et al（2003）. Environmental education for water resources management. Educator’s
Guidebook. American: PCJ Consortium, 251p.
Hoffmann, J. F.（2011）. School: let’s play environmental games? Looking for a pedagogy to value
water, to value life, Cadernos de Educação, Pelotas, UFPel. Retrieved from https://periodicos.
ufpel.edu.br/ojs2/index.php/caduc/article/view/1536
THE 17 GOALS.（2021, August 4）. Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved from https://
sdgs.un.org/goals
Medeiros, A. B., Mendonça, M. J. da S. L., Sousa, G. L., Oliveira, I. P., Manzano, M., DINIZ, R.,
Lima, G. A. de O.（2019）. The importance of environmental education at school in the firstyears. Id on Line Revista Multidisciplinar e de Psicologia, 13（44）,620-634.
Ayrton Senna Institute.（2021, June 7）Creativity and thought critical: A guide to thinking now
and creating futures. Retrieved from: https://institutoayrtonsenna.org.br/pt-br/guiacriatividade-e-pensamento-critico.html

35

Localite: Empowering Youth through Community-Based Local
Development in Supporting Indigenous and Local Food System
to Achieve Food Security and Sustainable Development
Yasmin Kamila
Advisor: Dr. Berry Juliandi S. Si., M.Si.
Department of Biology
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
IPB University

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a significant loss of human life worldwide andposes a challenge to public health, world of work, and our food systems. It is also expected toincrease a significant number of individuals experiencing extreme food insecurity. The numberof undernourished people, which is presently projected to be almost 69 million, might rise to 132
million by the end of 2020（WHO, 2020）. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, our country,
Indonesia, has been highly reliant on unsustainable modern food and farming systems. Modern
agriculture contributes significantly to global carbon emissions from various sources, including
product and machinery manufacturing, material transportation, global biodiversity loss, anddirect and indirect soil greenhouse gas emissions. They degrade the natural resources needed
to sustain agricultural output, such as water, soils, and genetic resources. Power and income arealso concentrated in the hands of a few businesses in modern food systems, making themhighly inequitable.
Food systems of the world’s 476 million people, including ～60 million indigenous
Indonesians（Kuhnlein et al., 2013）, are frequently labelled as “backward” or “unproductive,”
however evidence reveals that they are very productive, sustainable, and equitable. Modern
food system mostly uses high-tech systems for storing, transporting, processing, and selling thatare usually high in carbon footprints within the entire processes（Béné et al., 2019）.In contrast,
the indigenous or local food system refers to all available food from local natural resources andis culturally recognized within a given community. These ecosystems protect biodiversity,
produce nutrient-dense food, and are both climate-resilient and low-carbon.
An alternative approach to food security should be advocated by NGOs, small-farmers
organizations, and researchers and is grounded in local knowledge, traditional farming, andlocally sovereign systems of production, distribution, and consumption. In fact, specific ethnic
communities relocated to megacities such as Jakarta have switched their cultural andnutritional preferences to western diets（Wibisono et al., 2020）.There is also limited knowledge
distribution to address this critical issue to Indonesian citizens, which lowers the exposure ofindigenous or local food system rate consumption.
The transformation of food systems thus needs to become an urgent national priority. To
support such urgency, Localite presents as youth national solidarity to overcome theintertwined impacts of the pandemic, especially in our food system by building and also36

maintaining community-based local development support. Localite is a youth-driven communitythat focuses on advancing healthy local food production and consumption by reinforcing local
actors considering the long-term potential of their region.
In this research, the methodology is based on a qualitative method adapted from European
Commission （2011）, a community-led local development （CLLD） ‘bottom-up’ approach. It
focuses on specific sub-regional areas, is community-led, by local action groups（composed ofrepresentatives of the local public such as youth, minorities, women/men, socio-economic
interests, etc）
, is carried out through integrated and multi-sectoral area-based local
development strategies. The methodology will allow for the integrated use of the funds frompublic-private local partnerships to deliver local development strategies. Localite would engage
all the youths all over Indonesia to spread knowledge and awareness in a scientific framework
to support the local food system in the form of planned and customized local development
strategies in protecting indigenous lands and healthy food systems.
During the pandemic, Localite will be operating both on an online and offline platform. In
online platforms such as social media, Localite will work in digitizing information to spreadawareness for people in Indonesia or worldwide about the importance of local food production
and consumption and the environmental impacts it will be giving in the long term. While on an
offline platform, the other teams will try to reach and establish the local action group we havementioned before which represent different kinds of interest. Students can firstly reach some remoteareas in Indonesia by making sure our communication is integrated with society, especially inthe mountains and small islands. If possible, the communication could be done through mobile
phone or even postal mail. If these attempts are still not applicable to certain areas, we could do
another plan to bring some human resources to research and do direct investigation to thelocation. When the local action group has been established, a target area and population will bedefined. We then perform an analysis identifying the area’s customized development needs andpotential to draft the strategies. It will be the basis of our action plan to make a change on a
local level. The action plan could be an innovation such as new programs, collaboration withlogistic start-ups, and community empowerment especially in the agriculture sector. To do so,
we have to invest in which the capital is needed. Hence, integrative collaboration with publicprivate local partnership or national government funds is necessary. Students should encourage
the inhabitants to be involved with the plans and come up with their own initiatives. Together,
we can reach our primary goal of spreading awareness and increasing engagement as well as
thriving through immediate action to support indigenous food systems.
Localite’s core visions on this subject are ensuring an equal understanding of local foods
that are beneficial to all societies. Indigenous or local food system knowledge is incorporated inboth cultivated and wild foods, as well as synergies with the natural environment andbiodiversity, adaptation to local conditions, and understanding of how these factors arechanging. Therefore, we could increase the awareness of local foods’ value and importance forhealth. We also believe that introducing environmentally friendly technology could help
societies to grow or utilize local foods better. Last but not least, spreading education to bothrural and urban areas’ society is very critical to increase diet quality by shifting from poor
37

quality of westernised and export diets to local foods. These steps help prevent bothundernutrition, overweight, and obesity and promote direct consumption of local foods andpromote sustainable food systems within the unique local cultures.
Nowadays, Localite is still run online by students’ small team creating an educational
platform on social media in the form of Instagram posts that focuses on scientific and rationalminded humanity. We usually discuss natural or social phenomena and humanity’s irrational
behaviours, especially those that directly affect environmental disruptions. Localite’s initiatives
have also presented earlier with Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance of the Archipelago or Aliansi
Masyarakat Adat Nusantara（AMAN）by Local Harvest which could strengthen our missions
together through collaboration. In the next future, Localite is expected to implement its plan toexpand its project in supporting local products through our community-based local development
and programs we have discussed.
Creating this community with well-organized programs gives several social, economic, andenvironmental impacts. Together, we could help to improve access to fresh local foods whichlead to advanced dietary habits and a lower risk of health-related diseases. Indigenous foodsystem knowledge may synergize with the natural environment and biodiversity. It is adapted
to local conditions and gives low carbon footprints due to minimum transportation anddecreasing external inputs such as fuel and ecologically sensitive technologies. We also initiate
participatory partnerships or stakeholders to invite local solutions to local challenges and allow
for the inhabitants to directly influence their own living environment which keeps their natureand local identity.
Various processes still need to be taken in the development of Localite to become acommunity that can be beneficial to others by implementing our values. Different actions need
to be carried out, primarily related to spreading knowledge and strategic awareness.
Stakeholders （community, governments, universities, research centres, and other agencies）
must take local food systems as their priority focus. It is necessary to document theseresources’ scientific and cultural benefits and promote more sustainable food systems todevelop more sustainable global healthy diets in this current pandemic COVID-19.
References
Béné, C., Oosterveer, P., Lamotte, L., Brouwer, I. D., de Haan, S., Prager, S. D., Talsma, E. F., &Khoury, C. K. （2019）. When food systems meet sustainability － Current narratives andimplications for actions. In World Development（Vol. 113, pp. 116-130）.
EC. （2011）. Community-Led Local Development. Cohesion Policy 2014-2020. March 2014.
https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/informat/2014/community_en.pdf
Kuhnlein, H. V., Erasmus, B., Spigelski, D., & Burlingame, B.（2013）. Indigenous Peoples’ foodsystems & well-being: Interventions & policies for healthy communities. In Indigenous
Peoples’ food systems and well-being: Interventions and policies for healthy communities.
http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3144e.pdf
Wibisono, A., Wisesa, H. A., Rahmadhani, Z. P., Fahira, P. K., Mursanto, P., & Jatmiko, W.
（2020）. Traditional food knowledge of Indonesia: a new high-quality food dataset andautomatic recognition system. Journal of Big Data, 7（1）.
38Group C
Group theme

Nutrition
Presenters:

Terry Lin, Western Sydney University
Onnalin Wiriyasumon, Kasetsart University
Mayara Sartori, University of São Paulo
Nguyen Hanh Nhung, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Chairpersons:Claudia Fiorella Ortega Morales, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Yuka Nakamura, Tokyo University of Agriculture

39Vegetable protected cropping in warm climates
Terry Lin
Advisor: Professor Zhonghua Chen
School of Science, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW.

The 21st century is faced with an impending crisis in global food security. Climate change
is reducing the hospitability of environments across the globe - creating droughts, expanding
deserts, and increasing climate variability. Simultaneously, the world is observing a reduction inarable land together with increasing population density in habitable regions; global food demandhas been predicted to eventually outstrip supply, with new projections forecasting the need fora 25 - 70% increase in food production levels by the middle of the century（Hunter et al., 2017）.
Greenhouses are a means of improving food security and maintaining a low ecological footprint
while taking advantage of uncultivated land. In warm climates, they employ physical barriers
against pests, wind, and disease vectors; shading and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning（HVAC）for temperature control; and hydroponics and diffuse glass to improve water, nutrient,and light usage.
High-tech greenhouses allow for automated control of many aspects of the greenhouseenvironment, such as CO2 concentration, relative humidity, solar radiation, irrigation, lighting,airflow, and temperature. The resulting data is also used to further understand and improve
crop performance. Despite these benefits, high-tech greenhouses are capital-intensive, andlabour and electricity typically account for over 50% of operating costs in smaller units － sothe economic benefit of these greenhouses is currently unclear（Jadhav & Rosentrater, 2017;
Peet & Welles, 2005）.
The Australian protected cropping industry is the fastest growing food producing sector,
with an annual expansion of 5% per annum in recent years. However, protected cropping inAustralia is primarily confined to temperate climatic zones, while high potential exists for
expansion of this industry for tropical and subtropical climate zones. Greenhouse energy andwater use efficiency is one of the key components to the success of Australian protected
cropping industry in warmer climates. With rising energy prices, producers need an energy
efficient, cost effective climate control solution for greenhouses. Australian greenhouse coolingtechnologies largely originate from heating-dominant, wet-weather European countries, andtherefore require further optimisation to overcome the specific challenges of high-intensity lightand large diurnal and seasonal temperature variations present in Australian climates.
Currently, there are no tools available to estimate if the increased yield due to high-tech,fully-controlled greenhouses can offset the high initial cost of these systems. My work will
utilise phenological and physiological data collected from climate-controlled greenhouses andcorrelate these to energy use to derive a stronger understanding of the interaction between
common cooling technologies and common greenhouse crops within the Australian climate. The
project aims to improve economic viability of protected cropping due to reduction in the initial40

cost of the greenhouses（with locally available technology）and reduction in operating cost（energy and water use efficiency）. This process will involve collaboration with Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation（CSIRO）energy researchers with expertise inbuilt-environment climate control, and with Western Sydney University agriculture researcherswith expertise in plant physiology and crop yield. This will also involve the development of ahigh-fidelity greenhouse energy model integrating crop growth and greenhouse climate submodels to optimize energy savings and crop productivity. The model will be designed in thebuilding simulation software TRNSYS, and will be used to predict the performance of othercrops and cooling technologies, including an innovative solar desiccant-based cooling solution by
CSIRO, to serve as a decision support tool for activities in protected cropping in warm climates.
An initial statistical investigation was conducted into the operation of a photoselective
optical thin film, or ‘smartglass’, in a high-tech greenhouse fitted with mechanical coolers（cooling water pipe system）,fogging compartments, curtains and vents. The crop employed forthese experiments was eggplant. This investigation identified seasonal and diurnal variations insmartglass energy-saving performance under different ambient light, air temperatures, and air
relative humidity. The results indicated that the smartglass decreased cooling energy usage by
11% in cooler, less sunny cropping periods, but by only 4% in warmer, sunnier cropping periods.
This difference was largely due to greenhouse temperatures being influenced by direct heating
through insolation, and indirect heating by conduction and convection.
The decrease in cooling energy usage in cooler periods was potentially underestimatedowing to the greenhouse venting control algorithm, which saw increased venting in smartglass
rooms owing to increased relative humidity. Humidity was driven by fogging and by crop
evapotranspiration, in which case specific future investigations will include correlation of crop
physiology and phenology to greenhouse climate and cooling energy usage. The findings will be
used to support the design and selection of crop models for evapotranspiration and growth ofcapsicum, lettuce, and eggplant, and the coupling of greenhouse climate, crop nutritional
content, and crop yield.
References
Hunter, M., Smith, R., Schipanski, M., Atwood, L., & Mortensen, D.（2017）. Agriculture in 2050:
Recalibrating Targets for Sustainable Intensification. BioScience, 67（4）,386-91.
Jadhav, H., & Rosentrater, K. （2017, July 16-19）. Economic and environmental analysis ofgreenhouse crop production with special reference to low cost greenhouses: a review［Paper
presentation］. 2017 ASABE Annual International Meeting, Spokane, WA. https://doi.
org/10.13031/aim.201701178.
Peet, M., & Welles, G.（2005）. Greenhouse tomato production. In E. Heuvelink（Ed.）, Tomatoes（pp. 257-304）.CABI Publishing.

41

Thriving food innovation in Thailand by the BCG model
Onnalin Wiriyasumon
Advisor: Asst. Prof. Suvimol Charoensiddhi, PhD
Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agro-Industry,
Kasetsart University

Food industry significantly contributed to industrial GDP of Thailand with a strong
backward linkage to the agricultural sector, the foundation of Thai economy （Ajchara
Kessuvan and Arisara Thongpech, 2020）. However, the pandemic of the COVID-19 virus has
underscored Thailand’s competitiveness as a major global exporter of food and processed foodproducts as international shipments of these products have held up during the health crisis. The
Thai government has earmarked a budget of US$ 213 million for the Ministry of Industry to
implement action plans to further enhance global competitiveness and value added of the Thaifood products over the next seven years, given to the industry’s sizeable employment andsignificance in the local industrial supply chains（Bangkok post group, 2020）.
Bio-Circular-Green Economic Model or BCG has been introduced by the researchcommunity and promoted by the Thai government as a new economic model for inclusive andsustainable growth. The BCG model capitalizes the country’s strengths in biological diversity
and cultural richness and employs technology and innovation to transform Thailand to a valuebased and innovation-driven economy. The model consists of 3 submodels;（1）the Bioeconomy
which involves the production of renewable biological resources and the conversion of theseresources into value added products, （2） the Circular economy that aims at reusing andrecycling materials to maximize the value of limited resources and（3）the Green economy
which determines to keep economy, society and the environment in balance, leading tosustainable development.（Office of National Higher Education Science Research and Innovation
Policy Council, 2021）. It also conforms with the UN Sustainable Development Goals（SDGs）andaligns with the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy （SEP） which is also the key principle ofThailand’s social and economic development （Office of National Higher Education Science
Research and Innovation Policy Council, 2021）.
Regarding to Thailand’s strengths in robust agricultural activities, rich natural resources,and diversity in terms of both biological resources and physical geography, the BCG model isapplied to focus on promoting four industries － namely agriculture and food; medical andwellness; bioenergy, biomaterial and biochemical; as well as tourism and creative economy.
Science, technology and innovation will be employed to enhance the capacity andcompetitiveness of players in the value chain, both upstream and downstream, in all fourindustries, coupling with innovative policy and supportive legal and financial measures. The
value of the Food and Agriculture sector can be multiplied with product diversification, productdifferentiation, high-value and premium-quality products and services, waste reduction,
resource- and land-use efficiency improvement. This strategy can be enabled by R&D and42

technologies such as customer behavior analytics, optimized waste production, smart farming
technologies, traceability, food and product safety, as well as the development of high-value andnovel food products such as food for special groups of people（patients and the elderly, forexample） and functional ingredients （Bangkok post group, 2020; Office of National Higher
Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council, 2021）.
Nowadays, a demand for future food turns to “New Normal” lifestyle. The crisis, however,affected many consumers to change their behaviors and their new experiences as shift to
fundamental health and caring economy. It is essential to consider key behaviors going throughthe prolonged recovery period; health conscious, digitalization, sanitization, balancing of homeand duty and personalized food supply that would become the “New Normal” for Thais
affecting food consumptions （Ajchara Kessuvan and Arisara Thongpech, 2020）. Therefore,
people’s health and environmental consciousness grows. Thailand has a proliferation of a new
breed of entrepreneurs for production of healthy diets, and aims to enhance diversification anddifferentiation of food products toward higher value products such as future healthy food andfunctional ingredients（Bangkok post group, 2020）.
Since last year I was a third year student of the Department of Food science andTechnology, Faculty of Agro-Industry, Kasetsart University. I have been participating in the
Food Innopolis Innovation Contest from November 2020 to August 2021 as a leader of a fourmember team selected to join the national food innovation contest held by Food Innopolis
together with National Science and Technology Development Agency under the topic of“Future Lifestyle Food Innovation”. Thailand Food Innopolis is a global food innovation hub
focusing on research, development and innovation for food industry（FoodInnopolis, 2021）. The
Food Innopolis Innovation Contest has offered an opportunity for high school students,
undergraduates, academics and researchers to put their ideas of food products to use byencouraging to brainstorm current problems and pain points, plan the new productdevelopment and to finally come up with the prototypes. Participants are upskilled all thenecessary knowledge i.e. basic food technology, value proposition design, and marketing skills.
In order to develop ideas of new innovative product which is potential to launch in the market.
On the presentation day, they would set up a food exhibition stands showing prototypes as wellas give a pitch presentation about their products and business models. The motivation ofparticipating in this program is that the winning teams of each levels are rewarded differently
including prototype budget, oversea trip support and also a demonstration of the product at
ThaiFex Exhibition.
“Vegete”, the innovative product of my team, is high-nutrient and colorful vegetable strips.
Different-colored strips are well designed for different target consumers including working
people and seniors who have different nutritional requirements and health concerns. Moreover,this product can also be consumed in two different ways as a snack or instant pasta. My
product development is consistent with the BCG model in term of food security andsustainability which reveals that local vegetables are converted to value-added and premiumquality products, maximizes the value of our rich agricultural resources and reduces wastes forsustainable environment. Vegetables, highly perishable food, from local farmers are extended
43

their shelf life through a production process and prevented spoilage from long term storage
after harvesting. Advantages to the society are local Thai farmers can overcome the current
situation. Their quality of life will be continuously improved to eradicate extreme poverty. The
economy, environment and society will be balanced along with the long-term economic growthin the country. Also, the developed product of my team can be one of innovative food products
provided additional nutrients for consumers with personal health concerns. “Vegete” is a highquality healthy functional food product that can be easily consumed by those target customers
with affordable prices as the ingredients and raw materials are locally produced. In addition, it
provides essential nutrients from fresh vegetables without adding artificial colors or flavors topromote Thai health and prevent them from non-communicable diseases（NCDs）in the future.
The vision of our food product is to create high-value functional future food for consumers
with health concerns and to use local produce wisely in order to increase food security and foodsustainability in the country. The product development trainings and all the activities held by
this contest has been a part of an effective effort applying concept of food innovation, to the
BCG model in accordance with “New Normal” lifestyle in Thailand.
References
Ajchara Kessuvan and Arisara Thongpech.（2020）. Towards the New Normal Lifestyle of Food
Consumption in Thailand. Food and Fertilizer Technology Center for the Asian and PacificRegion. https://ap.fftc.org.tw/article/2615
Bangkok post group. （2020, August 5）. BCG economy thriving on rich biodiversity andtechnological strengths. Bangkok Post.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1962599/bcg-economy-thriving-on-rich-biodiversityand-technological-strengths
FoodInnopolis. （2021, June）. What is Food Innopolis? FoodInnopolis, National Science andTechnology Development Agency. https://foodinnopolis.or.th/en/about-us/
Office of National Higher Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council.（2021,
June）. BCG in Action. Office of National Higher Education Science Research and Innovation
Policy Council. https://www.nxpo.or.th/th/en/bcg-in-action/
Office of National Higher Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council.（2021,
June）. Bio-Circular-Green Economy placed on the national agenda. Office of National Higher
Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council. https://www.nxpo.or.th/th/
en/7106/44

Precision Agriculture as a Solution for Current Problems
Mayara Sartori
Advisor: Dr. José Paulo Molin
College of Agriculture “Luiz de Queiroz” -  University of São Paulo

Brazil was previously considered to be a import country with low agriculturaldevelopment. However, with the increase of the urban population, food security has become aconcern. The government has instituted policies to increase production as well as agricultural
productivity, including public investments in research and development（Chaddad, 2016）.
According to recent surveys, approximately 800 million people are fed by Brazilian
agricultural production, considering the production of grains and oilseeds, basic foods and inputs
for the manufacture of animal protein（Contin et al., 2020）.In addition, Brazil is currently one of
the few countries in the world with great potential for increasing its agricultural production,
especially due to expansion of planted area and increase in productivity.
In 1977 the grain production was 47 million tons and in 2017 this production had been
increased in 237 million, wich represent an increase of more than five times in 40 years. On theother hand, the planted area increased by only 60%（Conab, 2018）and this difference is mainly
explained by the increased productivity provided by innovations and scientific gains. According
to a study carried out by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation - Embrapa, between
1975 and 2015 the technology was responsible for 59% of the growth in the gross value of
production.
Currently, one of the biggest challenges in food production is increasing productivity along
the lines of sustainable production capable of feeding the growing population without further
impacting natural resources（Rodrigues, 2016）.Thus, technologies for agricultural development
become essential for increasing efficiency in the production chain.
One of the most studied management methods for improving production systems is theso-called precision agriculture. According to The International Society of Precision Agriculture,
Precision Agriculture is “a management strategy that gathers, processes and analyzes
temporal, spatial and individual data and combines it with other information to support
management decisions according to estimated variability for improved resource use efficiency,
productivity, quality, profitability and sustainability of agricultural production.”
Precision Agriculture technologies identify, monitor and guide rural producers in property
management to improve productivity, environmental preservation, and income（Molin et al.,2015）
. Through information based on the spatial variability of a crop, it is possible to carry out
more rational planning regarding the management of pests, diseases, soil nutrients and weeds,
which facilitates decision-making.
For the application of this management system, advanced technologies and the use ofcomplex monitoring systems are necessary to monitor agronomic activities, with one of themain tools for monitoring crops being the use of sensor systems. Therefore, currently I am
45

conducting scientific research that aims to comparatively evaluate the performance inpredicting biomass of some sensors available on the market, carrying out continuous monitoringof an experimental crop in cover crops and grain production.
By collecting data with these sensors, it is possible to increase the power of theinformation obtained, as well as share the results scientific society. In this way, the research
can be easily applied in the daily life of Brazilian rural producers, and through the identificationof the sensors that proved to be more efficient, it is possible to provide producers with more
relevant information about which equipment to use according to their crop. Consequently, with
the information provided, it is possible to optimize the use of inputs applied in the production
system and thus provide a more sustainable chain.
In the extension group I participate my colleagues and I are constantly encouraged to
produce scientific research, in addition to having direct contact with academic studies andresearchers who promote innovation and technology, the group has twenty years old since havebeen founded, wich means that a lot of research have been made since that. The group today
has 40 undergraduate and graduate students responsible for various research in precision
agriculture.
Currently, students who are part of the group have their individual researches that are
guided by postgraduate students. Every month at least one of each student’s research is donein the laboratory with the help of the members. The next step in the expansion of precision
agriculture technologies is to make contact between private companies and the university evergreater, aiming at scientific evolution in general so that new technologies reach producers. In
this case, students can help increase contact with these other companies through networking.
In short, one of the greatest difficulties faced for the development of scientific research, aswell as the application of precision agriculture, is the lack of a standard for the information
obtained by sensors and interpretation software. This makes it difficult to carry out fast andefficient processing of the data obtained, since it is necessary to understand the functioning ofeach tool as well as knowing how to integrate them.
Therefore, scientific research for the development of precision agriculture is fundamental
for the agricultural production models of the future. More and more studies capable of showing
in a representative way the advantages of this system are needed, mainly so that precision
agriculture is increasingly practiced and consequently helps in increasing sustainableproduction efficiency.
References
Chaddad, F.（2016）. The economics and organization of Brazilian agriculture: recent evolution
and productivity gains. San Diego: Elsevier. Retrieved from: https://www.elsevier.com/
books/the-economics-and-organization-of-brazilian-agriculture/chaddad/978-0-12-801695-4
Conab.（2018）.Crops. Retrieved from: https://portaldeinformacoes.conab.gov.br/index.php/
Contin, E. and A. Aragon.（2020）. Agro Brasileiro feeds 800 million people. Retrieved from:https://docplayer.com.br/203770759-O-agro-brasileiro-alimenta-800-milhoes-de-pessoas.html
Molin, J. P., L. R. Amaral, and A.F. Colaço（2015）Precision Agriculture. 1. Ed. São Paulo: Oficinade Textos, 238 p. Retrieved from: https://www.bibliotecaagptea.org.br/agricultura/precisao/46

livros/AGRICULTURA%20DE%20PRECISAO%20-%20OFICINA%20DE%20TEXTOS.pdf
Rodrigues, L. N. （2016）. Sustainability: current challenge for agriculture. Retrieved from:https://www.embrapa.br/busca-de-noticias/-/noticia/18416037/artigo---sustentabilidadedesafio-atual-da-agricultura
The International Society of Precision Agriculture - ISPA. （2019）. Retrieved from: https://www.ispag.org/about/definition47

An alternative to animal testing on food:Using a skin equivalent to test the anti-aging effectof functional food for responsible production
and sustainable life on land
Nguyen Hanh Nhung
Advisor: Prof. Katsuhiro Miyajima and Prof. Masumi Iijima
Tokyo University of Agriculture
Department of Nutritional Science and Food Safety, 4th-year

BackgroundAll living beings on the Earth share the same environment and resources such as air,forests, oceans, and rivers. In fact, human and animals share deadly pathogens responsible fordiseases. Many pathogens can easily jump from species to species which makes a disease risk
anywhere can easily become a risk everywhere especially in a world more globalized andinterconnected than ever before. It is estimated that 60% of human infectious diseases and 3
out of 5 new human diseases that appear every year have an animal origin, for example Ebola
and probably COVID-19［World Organisation of Animal Health, 2013］. Therefore, animal healthand animal welfare in general become an international issue.
Animal experimentation is one of animal welfare issues. In biomedical research, animal
testing is used as surrogates in the investigation of human diseases. Despite the necessary useof animals in this kind of research, the public is also concerned about the care and treatment oflaboratory animals. The 3Rs （replacement, reduction, and refinement）, first mentioned byRussell and Burch（1959）, have since then been adopted in most regulation and guidelines
related to animals used for scientific purposes all over the world（EUROPEAN MEDICINESAGENCY, 2016）.
Functional food which is believed to be able to prevent diseases and strengthen human’s
health were first mentioned in 1993 in the Nature news magazine（C J Henry, 2010）To findand test the function of those products, animal experiments are widely used. Moreover, baker’s
yeast, which is familiar with every family as one ingredient of bread, has been known withimmunoregulatory effect and intestinal regulatory effect. As to find a new method to replace
animal testing on functional food, we conduct a cell experiment to test anti-aging function of tea
catechin and baker’s yeast. Tea catechin which has been known to be a strong antioxidant（Japan Tea Central Public Interest Incorporated Association, 2015）is used as a positive control
to establish the testing system in this experiment. After that, the system is used to test theanti-aging effect of the candidate yeast.
Methods
HaCaT keratinocytes（Cell Lines Service Co.）－ a type of cell extracted from humanadult skin were used for assessment. The cell damage was caused by hydrogen peroxide48

adult skin were used for assessment. The cell damage was caused by hydrogen peroxide(H2O2) – a powerful oxidizer. Epicatechin gallate (ECg, a type of tea catechin) is used as
positive control for establishing the testing system. Many conditions were tried todetermine the optimal testing conditions. For example, time for yeast treatment,（H2O2）－ a powerfuloxidizer.
Epicatechingallate（ECg,a typeof tea wascatechin）
is usedThen,as theepicatechingallatetreatment
and hydrogen
peroxidetreatment
optimized.
positive
controlfor establishingtestingsystem. Many
conditions
were tried
to determine
testing
coursewhich canthe
show
the anti-aging
effectof epicatechingallatewas selected tothe optimal
testing
conditions.
For
example,
time
for
yeast
treatment,
epicatechincontinue testing on yeast. The parameter for assessment were cell viability gallate(apoptosis)
treatment and hydrogen peroxide treatment was optimized. Then, the testing course which can
and gene expression (RT-PCR).
show the anti-aging effect of epicatechin gallate was selected to continue testing on yeast. The

parameter for assessment were cell viability（apoptosis）and gene expression（RT-PCR）.

Results
After trying many different conditions, the testing system was decided to last in 96
Results
hours with 24-hour yeast treatment, one-hour epicatechin gallate treatment before
After trying many different conditions, the testing system was decided to last in 96 hours
hydrogen peroxide treatment.
with 24-hour yeast treatment, one-hour epicatechin gallate treatment before hydrogen peroxide
In apoptosis, the percent of damage cells with hydrogen peroxide treatments wastreatment.
higherthan thosewith epicatechingallate-treatment(Figure 1).
The group
In apoptosis,
the percent
of damage cellswith hydrogen peroxide
treatments
was treatedhigher withbaker’s
has not
shown any reduction
in. Theapoptosis
cells comparedtoyeasthydrogenthan those
withyeast
epicatechingallate-treatment（Figure 1）
group treatedwith baker’s-treatedgroup.
The gene
theperoxidesame results
has notperoxideshown any
reduction
in apoptosis
cellsexpression
compared toshowedhydrogen-treated because
group. theinflammatory-related
did results
not clearlychangebetween yeast-treated
The gene
expression showed gene
the samebecausethe inflammatory-related
geneand
did hydrogen
notgroups.
clearlyperoxide-treatedchange between yeast-treatedand hydrogen peroxide-treated groups.

-

s
i
s
o
t
p
o
p
a
d
n
a
s
i
s
o
t
p
o
p
a
o
r
P

Figure 1. Percentage of pro-apoptosis and apoptosis
in each group treated with ECg and H2O2
Conclusions
The results showed that HaCaT keratinocytes was a good choice for the anti-aging
function testing experiment. This kind of cell can be used for other anti-aging related
experiments.
The testing system has been established using epicatechin gallate. For baker’s yeast, theanti-aging function has not been clear but other function can be taken into consideration.
The testing method using extracted cells has contributed to the reduction andreplacement of animal use for biomedical purposes. This method is also time and cost effective,
and more environmental-friendlier than that of animal-testing method. The yeast candidate with
anti-aging function has not been found yet but the experiment is going to continue with othercandidates. Once a good candidate is found, it will open the door for developing new product.
This research is one action to practise the 3Rs in biomedical research. By linking thisresearch and actions, a new product can be developed with environmental, social and economic
sustainability. This is also the connection between my project and this year’s ISS theme.
49References
EUROPEAN MEDICINES AGENCY. （2016）. Guideline on the principles of regulatory
acceptance of 3Rs（replacement, reduction, refinement）testing approaches. https://www.ema.
europa.eu/en/documents/scientific-guideline/guideline-principles-regulatory-acceptance-3rsreplacement-reduction-refinement-testing-approaches_en.pdf.
Henry C.J. .（2010）. Functional foods. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 64, pages
657-659 https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2010.101.
Japan Tea Central Public Interest Incorporated Association.（2015）.SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCEFOR THE HEALTH BENEFIT OF GREEN TEA. Tokyo.
Russell W.M.S, Burch R.L.（1959（as reprinted 1992））. The principles of humane experimental
technique. Wheathampstead（UK）:Universities Federation for Animal Welfare.
World Organisation of Animal Health.（2013）. The ‘One health’ concept: the OIE approach.
https://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Publications_&_Documentation/docs/pdf/bulletin/
Bull_2013-1-ENG.pdf.

50Group D
Group theme

Food

Presenters:

Achitphon Teeraruangchaisri, National Chung-Hsing University
Salma Ghanem, The University of British Columbia
Sumit Sharma, Agriculture and Forestry University
Chairpersons:Ramadhina Putri Indraswari, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Daiki Nakai, Tokyo University of Agriculture51

Moving toward sustainable circular economy
through insect biotreatment
Achitphon Teeraruangchaisri
Advisor: Dr. Hwang Shaw-Yhi
National Chung-Hsing University, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources,
Department of International Master Program of Agriculture

For more than a decade, the world has changed by our hands, increasing temperature,rising sea level, vanishing jungle, all of these problems result from the demand of humans. In
the past to sustain our life, humans discover cultivation and we start growing crops for
consumption. Now day agriculture has become one of the most important industries in theworld. With increasing population, we clearing fields to make way for more cultivable land,
farmstead, ranch, and orchard have been built upon the ground where it uses to be forest,
nevertheless, no matter how many areas we clear or crops we grow, it still not enough tosatisfy the demand for human consumption. Even though world food production is as high as 10
billion metric tons in 2018（FAO et al., 2020）however from the estimation about one-third of
total food production is lost as waste every year（Gustavsson et al., 2011）, this is equal to morethan 3 billion metric tons per year, enough to fill 15,000 football field.
Recently insect biotreatment has been proposed as a novel solution for treating solid foodwaste. Insect is a small animal with amazing capability, it can consume a wide variety oforganic matter, grow very quickly, and have a high reproduction rate. Insect can reduce morethan 70% of food waste by weight within 30 days（Lim et al., 2019）In contrast conventional
composting methods may take from 3 to 6 months to fully degrade material（Kadir et al.,2016）
. One of the high potential species for waste treatment is “Black soldier fly（BSF）” it is a
non-pest insect that didn’t transmit any animal or plant diseases. Black soldier fly larvae（BSFL）have ability to convert organic material into high-quality fertilizer. BSFL have a highcontent of lipid （16-58% dw） and protein （32-50% dw）（Ewald et al., 2020） which can beutilized in variety of product, for example livestock feed, biodiesel, cosmetic, or food ingredient（Delicato et al., 2020）.
This research aims to addressing how can we effectively integrate insect biotreatment in
our waste management system, possible use of insect byproducts, and acceptability of
consumer toward these byproducts.
Food waste mainly soybean dregs, and carrot pulp were received from breakfast shops
selling soymilk and chaimeei juice factory respectively. The collected wastes are mixed
together and use to rear the BSF from the colony maintained at National Chung Hsing
University. The BSFL development, waste converted efficiency, waste reducing ability arerecorded. For crude fat content（CF）BSFL fat is extracted from harvested dried larvae using
Hexane Soxhlet extraction. BSFL Crude protein content （CP） is determined using kjeldahl
analysis with nitrogen to protein multiplying factor of 6.25. To test the consumer acceptability52

of insect food, BSF larvae（BSFL）are mixed as ingredient in bakery product. BSFL cookies isprepared by replacing 10% of wheat flour with BSFL powder（BC）100% wheat cookies（WC）
are use as control sample. 20 participants are recruited from around Chung Hsing university.
the sensory test is conducted using 9-point hedonic score to evaluate participants acceptabilityof appearance, aroma, taste, texture, and overall parameter in sample. Participants are asked todescribe the difference between two sample for descriptive analysis. From experiment the feed
contains higher ratio of soybean was found to positively increase BSFL weight anddevelopment more than carrot waste however. The participants hedonic score of BC isn’t
significantly difference from WC but descriptive analysis suggests grounded BSFL powder canalter smell, texture and after taste of cookie. For future study we also cooperated with BSFL
farm and local businesses to find an alternative use for BSF byproduct. Currently, the BSF oil isbeing experimented for it potential as raw material for soap and detergent production.
With BSF treatment organic waste can be circulating back into agriculture industry as
fertilizer while the harvested larvae can be process into new product. Insect biotreatment using
BSF have very high potential as alternative more sustainable waste management method
compare to traditional landfill system. Insect biotreatment could help us pave way toward morecircular green economy with how we manage our resources.
Reference
Delicato, C., Schouteten, J. J., Dewettinck, K., Gellynck, X., & Tzompa-Sosa, D. A. （2020）.
Consumers’ perception of bakery products with insect fat as partial butter replacement. Food
Quality and Preference, 79, 1037-1055.
Ewald, N., Vidakovic, A., Langeland, M., Kiessling, A., Sampels, S., & Lalander, C.（2020）. Fatty
acid composition of black soldier fly larvae（Hermetia illucens）－ Possibilities and limitations
for modification through diet. Waste Management, 102, 40-47.
FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, & WHO.（2020）. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in theWorld 2020. Transforming food systems for affordable healthy diets. In IEEE Journal of
Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing.
Gustavsson, J., Cederberg, C., Sonesson, U., van Otterdijk, R., & Meybeck, A.（2011）.Global foodlosses and food waste － Extent, causes and prevention. In Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations.
Kadir, A. A., Ismail, S. N. M., & Jamaludin, S. N.（2016）. Food Waste Composting Study from
Makanan Ringan Mas. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 136（1）.
Lim, J. W., Mohd-Noor, S. N., Wong, C. Y., Lam, M. K., Goh, P. S., Beniers, J. J. A., Oh, W. Da,
Jumbri, K., & Ghani, N. A.（2019）. Palatability of black soldier fly larvae in valorizing mixed
waste coconut endosperm and soybean curd residue into larval lipid and protein sources.
Journal of Environmental Management, 231, 129-136.
Mai, H. C., Dao, N. D., Lam, T. D., Nguyen, B. V., Nguyen, D. C., & Bach, L. G. （2019）.
Purification Process, Physicochemical Properties, and Fatty Acid Composition of Black
Soldier Fly（Hermetia illucens Linnaeus）Larvae Oil. JAOCS, Journal of the American Oil
Chemists’ Society, 96（11）,1303-1311.

53

Creating a Culturally Appropriate Pantry Purchasing Guide
for Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Salma Ghanem
Advisor: Leslie Lavkulich
The University of British Columbia

In the summer of 2020, I and three colleagues created an emergency pantry purchasing
guide for students in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The need arose from noticing theso-called “panic buying” that occurred in the early months of the pandemic. We believed thiswas a potential sign of a lack of food literacy/preparedness that students felt, and an
emergency guide would be one way to support student well-being during the difficulties. We
recognized that this would be a challenge as Vancouver and UBC is a culturally diverse
community. The guide was aimed to be nutritious, culturally appropriate, and affordable. Our
research consisted of surveying students to understand what their current level of food literacy
and emergency preparedness was, how to measure and evaluate cultural appropriateness, andhow to create a guide that took students’ needs and understanding into consideration. My major
contribution to the research was ensuring our team made culturally appropriate foodrecommendations to students. To accomplish this, I conducted a literature review on cultural
appropriateness, and we surveyed UBC students about what their cultural identity was andwhether their food preferences aligned with their identities, with which we determined whatfoods to recommend.
The results indicated that students felt a general lack of confidence in emergency
preparedness and felt less able to react and adapt to the shock of the emergency. In terms ofcultural appropriateness, the literature review showed that the lack of culturally appropriate
foods can lead to feelings “of depression, loneliness, isolation, homesickness and identity loss”
amongst students（Bates et al. 2014）. Additionally, there was a lack of literature discussing
what culturally appropriate food means or what kinds of foods are culturally appropriate, which
made the recommendations harder to implement. One previous UBC study defined culturally
appropriate food as “food that is important for the health, identity, religious beliefs, practices, oroverall well being of specific cultural groups.”（Bates et al. 2014）  This definition emphasized theneed to ask students what cultural foods are important for their overall wellbeing, which was
one major reason that our research was centered around asking students what their culture is
and what they consider culturally appropriate food. Our survey results showed that thestudents’ cultural identities were highly complex and not necessarily correlated with theirnationalities. Additionally, the survey revealed that 82% of UBC students felt that their cultural
identity aligned with their food habits.
Our next step was to show students nine generic pantry items and ask whether they thoughtthese were culturally appropriate. These items were: soup/stews, canned fruits, canned
vegetables, protein/granola bars, peanut butter, instant oatmeal, nuts & dried fruits, pasta, and54

rice. Eighty-four percent of students said these items were appropriate, listing reasons such as“fairly general and can be diversified”. While these items were generic, the students felt thatthey could be combined into cultural meals with which they were familiar. The students’ input
helped us in creating our guide based on these items. However, our team found these results a
surprise as we expected these items were not culturally appropriate. This research emphasizedthat for culturally appropriate food systems to exist, institutions, researchers, and project
managers should be asking their demographics what food they consider culturally appropriate
when creating guides, projects, menus etc. For example, if a university wants to include
Chinese cuisine in their cafeteria, they can send out the prospective menus to culturally
Chinese students and survey them on whether or not these are appropriate. We also found that
cultural appropriateness, as a concept, has much room for more academic exploration if
institutions truly want to implement it as a value in their food systems.
Overall, our project resulted in the creation of a pantry purchasing guide that consisted ofaround 17 items that are nutritious, affordable, and culturally appropriate according to thestudents we surveyed. To ensure that this guide could be used in an emergency, all foods
recommended are non-perishable. This guide contributes to easing the lack of food literacy andemergency preparedness that students experience. They can now access a guide that aids
them in their purchasing habits, as well as one that is tailored to their cultural needs. One
difficulty in the promotion of this guide is its format. In response to the question whether
students would seek out the pantry purchasing guide, the response was largely no. Thissuggests that students, like most people, prefer more direct access, such as that offered bysocial media. This indicates that there can be more effective ways to share this information,
potentially through social media.
References
Bates, R., Haar, Y., Knox M., McGillivray C., Sebastian M., Serizawa S., & Stainsby A.（2014）
Towards a Culturally Appropriate Food System. UBC SEEDS. https://sustain.ubc.ca/sites/
default/files/seedslibrary/Food%20Preparedness%20Guide%20-%20Final%20Report.pdf

55

Prevalence of NTS Salmonella,
Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern and Risk Factors
on Commercial Poultry Value Chain in Chitwan, Nepal
Sumit Sharma
Advisor: Dr. Subir Singh
Faculty of Animal Sciences, Veterinary Sciences and Fisheries,
Agriculture and Forestry University（AFU）

Nontyphoidal Salmonella enterica（NTS）infections are estimated to cause more than 150
million cases of gastroenteritis and around 60,000 deaths globally each year, making it one of
the leading causes of bacterial diarrhea worldwide（Healy & Bruce, 2020）.Infections of humans
with NTS are frequently associated with the consumption of contaminated food and isconsidered the second largest cause of food-borne illnesses after Campylobacter species（Ejo etal., 2016; Bakeri et al., 2003）. Due to the economic importance of this sector and the increasing
reliance on poultry as a source of nutrition, foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella are ofincreasing concern as they pose a potential threat to both livestock production and humanhealth（Bae et al., 2015）. The few studies that have been conducted to date have shown a highrate of NTS contamination among Nepal’s poultry farms and slaughter houses（Bae et al., 2013;
Shrestha et al., 2013; Laxman et al., 2016）. This study seeks to establish baseline data about thefarm-level prevalence of NTS species in general specifically on broiler and layer operations
along with characterization of the antimicrobial resistance patterns and serotypes of the NTS
isolates collected from poultry farms and slaughterhouses in the Chitwan district of Nepal in the
Chitwan district of Nepal.
A mixture of purposive and judgment sampling of 1 8 poultry farms and 2 0
slaughterhouses representing a broad geographic distribution across multiple municipalities in
Chitwan was conducted. Environmental samples taken from poultry farms included: Water,
litter, feces, feed, farm swabs, and eggshell swabs. Biological samples taken from nearby
slaughterhouses included: Muscle, heart, liver, skin, cecum, crop, and spleen. Samples were
cultured and tested for the presence of NTS. Positive isolates were serotyped and tested for
antimicrobial susceptibility to seven antibiotics known to be important to both human andanimal health regionally. Farm practices were also characterized through a survey.
Chitwan district has emerged as a major income-generating enterprise in the agricultural
sector over the past 35 years, contributing 39.5% of Nepal’s poultry population, 21.8% of poultry
meat production, and 36.5% overall egg production（MOALD, 2017, 2020）. NTS is highly
prevalent among Chitwan’s growing poultry industry. This data can immediately help guidepolicies to improve antibiotic stewardship among farmers in the along with groundworknecessary to assess resistance patterns of AMR NTS in poultry, the serotypes present and thepotential impact on human health in the region. To ensure the success of this industry and thecontinued health of the population, it is important to understand the risks posed by foodborne
56

pathogens such as NTS along with establishing good antibiotic stewardship.
Out of 708 samples（288 environmental and 420 biological）,103（15%）tested positive forNTS（9% of environmental; n=26, 18% of biological; n=77）. Farm management variables/risk
factors are summarized and categorized as non-modifiable and modifiable for analysis. Broiler
operations were more likely to be positive than layer operations as were poultry houses with
two or less open sides. All-in/all-out management style was found to be protective. Due to thesmall sample size（18 farms）,no associations reached statistical significance. The percentage of
positive environmental and biological samples varied by source. Environmental sample positive
rates were water（27.5%）, feces（10.6%）, litter（8.6%）, farm swabs（5%）, feed（1.8%）, andeggshells（0%）. Biological sample positive rates were skin（28%）, heart（23%）, crop（20%）,
muscle（15%）, liver（15%）, spleen（15%）, and cecum（12%）. Out of 103 positive S. enterica
isolates, 48.5% were identified as Salmonella Typhimurium, 35% Salmonella Enteritidis, 7.8%
Salmonella Gallinarum, 4.9% Salmonella Virchow, and 3.9% were Salmonella Agona. Of the 103
positive isolates, 80 （78%） were resistant to at least one antibiotic, and 21 （20%） were
multidrug-resistant（MDR）.
NTS is highly prevalent among Chitwan’s growing poultry industry with higher rates of
positivity found in slaughterhouse samples compared with environmental samples from farms.
Additionally, a high rate of antimicrobial resistance（78%）was revealed, and an extremely
concerning number of those were shown to be MDR（20%）. Certain risk factors are associatedwith finding NTS on farms.
As an internee student my role was to actively work on the sample collection,questionnaire design and initial sample processing, and draft writing along with anotherstudent. After being supervised from my supervisors（national and international）,We, students,
worked in sample handling and completed the process of identification and isolation of
Salmonella strains. Our supervisors participated actively in study design and data analysis,
while I contributed in part to the study design, draft writing, data interpretation and revisions.
The thing that provided motivation to us was the idea that our work will be a good foundation
for further researches and also will help for linking the findings to human health. Our teamfurther wanted to perform the Gene Sequencing of the resistant Salmonella species after
checking the Antibiotic resistant gene through PCR, but we couldn’t due to lack of further
funding. We also are looking for opportunities to conduct similar researches in humans, hospitalwaste water etc. nearby around this area to find a proper epidemiological and zoonotic
connection within poultry and human.
References
Bae D, Cheng CM, & Khan AA. 2015. Characterization of extended-spectrum β-lactamase（ESBL）producing non-typhoidal Salmonella（NTS）from imported food products. Int J Food
Microbiol. 214: 12-7.
Bakeri SA, Yasin RM, Koh YT, Puthucheary SD, & Thong KL. 2003. Genetic diversity of humanisolates of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis in Malaysia. J Appl Microbiol. 95（4）: 77380.
57

Bhandari N, Nepali D, & Paudyal S. 2013. Assessment of bacterial load in broiler chicken meatfrom the retail meat shops in Chitwan, Nepal. Int J Infect Microbiol. 2（3）:99-104.
Ejo M, Garedew L, Alebachew Z, & Worku W. 2016. Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance of
Salmonella Isolated from Animal-Origin Food Items in Gondar, Ethiopia. Biomed Res Int.
2016.
Healy J.M. & Bruce B.B. 2020. CDC Traveler’s Health［Internet］. Available from: https://
wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2020/travel-related-infectious-diseases/salmonellosisnontyphoidal
Laxman Bahadur D, Ishwari Prasad D, Saroj Kumar Y, Md. A, & Md. Zohorul I. 2016.
Prevalence and antibiotic resistance profile of Salmonella from livestock and poultry raw
meat, Nepal. Int J Mol Vet Res. 6（1）:1-22.
MOALD 2017. Statistical Information on Nepalese Agriculture. Singhdurbar, Kathmandu:
Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.
MOALD 2020. Statistical Information on Nepalese Agriculture. Singhdurbar, Kathmandu:
Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.
Shrestha A, Bajracharya AM, Subedi H, Turha RS, Kafle S, Sharma S, et al. 2017. Multi-drugresistance and extended spectrum beta lactamase producing Gram negative bacteria fromchicken meat in Bharatpur Metropolitan, Nepal. BMC Res Notes. 10（1）:1-5.

58

Group E
Group theme

Agriculture
Presenters:

Karen Coria Chagoya, Unilasalle
Kilemile Warren Henry, Sokoine University of Agriculture
Joan Murugi Macharia, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
Sahitha Lochana Karapitiya, University of Peradeniya
Oum Somara, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Chairpersons:

Muy Leang Kim, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Parminder, Tokyo University of Agriculture59Thinking about access to healthy and sustainable foodas a common good for all to achieve Environmental,
Social and Economic Sustainability
Karen Coria Chagoya
Advisor: Pauline Anton-Gay
UniLaSalle Beauvais - HealthThis abstract aims to outline the work of a group of students from UniLaSalle who worked
on developing several ideas for a system that could help provide and guarantee access tohealthy and sustainable food production, if implemented. Although these ideas still need to befurther developed, this model aims to think of food as a Human basic right.
Facing the many flaws that the current food system production and consumption
practices have, those being: inequity of access to healthy food at a global scale meaning that not
all population from around the world have access to a variety of healthy food, sometimes they
don’t even have access to food; climate change, increasing population growth rate, which would
require more reactive, resilient and productive food production systems; loss of biodiversity
related to actual agricultural practices; the exorbitant hospital expenses related to theconsequences that under and over nutrition provokes within societies （IPES Food, 2016）.
Therefore, one system including several action axes and parallel vias seemed adequate to us.
We identified the need to work on a solution that covered these stated food production
system flaws, that allows financial accessibility to healthy and sustainable food products that
respect and promote good agricultural practices. A universal allocation is proposed to be able tosupply these food products to country members that decide to participate in order to become apart of this solution.
This allocation, hopefully gathered thanks to the contribution of various stakeholders, thiswould concede everyone to have access to food products that meet the criteria stablished by
the system.
Boundaries, definitions and ground rules have to be described, and implemented as acertification. This certification would be conditioned by abiding certain principles inspired byagroecology food system production.
Recent research studies prove that this agricultural model would bring, among otherbenefits, a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions linked to the agricultural sector, as well
as a reduction of up to 97% in direct and indirect costs linked to health（FAO, 2020; Poux &Aubert, 2016）. Agroecology can also be seen as a social way of understanding relationshipbetween farmers and crops because it creates a link between nature and food; respecting theirtraditions （Toledo, 2011）. This is the reason why it may also bring benefits on the social
spectrum through increased employment opportunity to local productors.
Health impacts could be related to an increase in agroecological farmers health, throughmore nutritious and balanced diets. Agroecology can improve nutrient adequacy through higher
production diversity and dietary diversity, and therefore, contribute to achieving SDG 2（zerohunger）（Deaconu et al., 2021; Kansanga et al., 2020）
60

This approach regarding funding, would be ground based on the profits and savings thatthe agroeconomic food system production model promotes through health prevention, crops
quality and resilience and fair work circumstances.
Hence, the positive result of the system would provide a positive outcome on 4
dimensions: environmental, social, economic and health, should it be approved and implemented
as defined in the specifications. These same specifications will be measured by indicators（tocollect data and evaluate results）such as the rate of carbon stored in the soil, the quantity ofwater used to obtain the product （regeneration index）, evolution of food access, work
opportunities as well as tools to support the stakeholders of the food system in this transition.
The participation of the afore mentioned member territories involved and participating inthis system would contribute to the construction a virtuous circle, because of their commitment（and therefore contribution, investment）and its links to research; research leads to data andthese data, once processed, will serve as an incentive to inspire other countries and hence,accelerate the transition. Data collection allows for information production and continuous
improvement.
This outline cannot oversee one important dimension, democracy. Indeed, one of the
stakes of this project is to give power back to the actors and citizens. Even if this system will
initially be implemented in different pilot territories, they will progressively be adapted to other
territories by creating democratic councils, guaranteeing the participation of every stakeholder
in this transition.
The main challenge is to empower the world population to be protectors of their own
health. Through this approach, many aspects are addressed as inducers of co-benefits: Protein
autonomy, food resilience（as more diversity facilitates adaptation）, decrease of externalities
and so for.
The main obstacle lies in its financing, resulting from another problem, its feasibility on a
global scale. This choice is totally assumed and is in line with the latest UNICEF reports
indicating that national climate plans were leading to a dead end with an estimated reduction of
0.5% against the 45% announced（FAO, 2020）. Faced with this observation, one solution thatcomes to our mind might be: ambitious international cooperation. Even if one country isharmless environmentally speaking, if its neighbors continue to produce large quantities ofgreenhouse gas emissions, everyone will suffer the consequences. The ecological consequences
remain globalized. Thus, an international contribution system will only be possible in a second
step where a percentage of investment of the countries based on the savings obtained, will beestablished.
The success of this system could be estimated through a financing prototype that
contemplates world disparities, considers its specific needs to be able to respond to theseurgent necessities. Moreover, main obstacle could be convincing territories to engage in thistransition. Indeed, this transition, even if it improves food resilience, will require work, time andattempts to adapt it to each territory. As previously mentioned, hopefully, if the investment ismade, many jobs would be created to work through this transition, and therefore we could
balance this obstacle, which by then, could become an opportunity.
To address these challenges, we want to be involved in projects that can help us to starton a small scale, to then participate in bigger scale projects that would allow us grow. We
would like the implementation of the pilot projects to involve many actors, mainly young local
61

people. However, there is a lot of work to do. We hope that after the implementation of the firstpilot system, we will be able to observe an improvement on several levels:
Social impact: the local scale implementation would allow privileged contacts between
producers and their clients; consumers of all age groups, especially adults, would be involved
thanks to the promotion of the project; citizens would be more involved in the system throughtheir responsible consumption, promoting local, responsible, and healthy food consumption. Fooddemocracy would lead to a decrease in food insecurity; it would also promote equity and genderequality, safety at work.
Economic impact: the allocation allows for a better remuneration of producers and theestablishment of “fair price” policies and new economic circuits favored.
Environmental impact: the project would lead to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
thanks to the application of agro-ecological models（improved practices）and to the reduction oftransport （local production） and also, to a reduction of water pollution, an increase inbiodiversity and the resilience of territories.
Health impact: agroecological practices would allow for a reduction of diseases and healthrisks.
The success of the implementation of these systems will allow the implementation of ourmodel on other territories with different characteristics. These effects and impacts would bemeasured and evaluated on pilot systems in three different countries on a regional scale（France, Lebanon and Brazil）for 3 years.
In summary, this idea aims to ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all; but also toenable a shift to sustainable consumption patterns: a shift to healthier, safer and more climate
and nature friendly diets. The seriousness of the current situation requires very ambitious andhigh impact solutions, embodied by this idea. Thinking about such a big project makes us face amajor problem, its feasibility. The ISS is a place that can help to make it happen, by allowing all
the stakeholders to step up and help us to further develop this idea and create synergy aroundthe project.
References:
Deaconu, A., Berti, P. R., Cole, D. C., Mercille, G., & Batal, M. （2021）. Agroecology andnutritional health: A comparison of agroecological farmers and their neighbors in the
Ecuadorian highlands. Food Policy, 102034. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2021.102034
FAO, I.（2020）. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020: Transforming
food systems for affordable healthy diets. FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. https://doi.
org/10.4060/ca9692en
Kansanga, M. M., Kangmennaang, J., Bezner Kerr, R., Lupafya, E., Dakishoni, L., & Luginaah, I.
（2020）. Agroecology and household production diversity and dietary diversity: Evidence froma five-year agroecological intervention in rural Malawi. Social Science & Medicine, 113550.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113550
Poux, X., & Aubert, P.-M.（2016）. An agroecological Europe in 2050: Multifunctional agriculture
for healthy eating. 74.
Toledo, V. M. （2011）. La agroecología en Latinoamérica: Tres revoluciones, una mismatransformación. Agroecología, 6, 37-46. Recuperado a partir de https://revistas.um.es/
agroecologia/article/view/16065

62

STORAGE STABILITY ASSESSMENT
OF THE MEAT TENDERIZER BLEND WITHPAWPAW-GINGER TO DETERMINE ITS SHELF LIFE
KILEMILE WARREN HENRY
Advisor: Dr. KILIMA B. M.
SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
DEPARTMENT OF FOOD TECHNOLOGY, NUTRITION AND CONSUMER SCIENCES

Meat tenderness is the most important organoleptic properties influencing acceptability
and eating satisfaction of meat products for consumers, as well as impacting the future decision
to repeat purchase. Different chemical meat tenderizers are used to treat meat. However, mostof these treatments have negative effects such as abnormal flavour and bitter taste due tocalcium chloride. Moreover, other treatments are claimed to contain many undesirable foodadditives like salts and monosodium glutamate with suspected possible health hazards.
Considering the mentioned health effects of available tenderizing methods, according toMalu et al., （2009） ginger increases the motility of the gastrointestinal tract and has
antimicrobial properties. Also ginger stimulates the production of saliva. Papaya acts a pain
reliever（Tewari, 2014）, also promotes wound healing and may aid in the treatment of allergy,
diarrhea and indigestion. Based on the mentioned significance of ginger and papaya there is aneed to develop cheap, natural tenderizer from natural products such as different spices andfruits which contain naturally occurring proteolytic enzymes.
The study aimed to develop a cheap, natural tenderizer from natural products. These
include spices such as ginger and fruits such as papaya which contain naturally occurring
proteolytic enzymes. The study was conducted at Sokoine University of Agriculture（SUA）forsix months from January to June 2021 in order to determine the shelf life of the meattenderizer formulated after mixing papaya, and ginger in ratio one to one or（1:1）and stored
under room temperature for all six months. Each month the physiochemical properties
including pH and titratable acidity were determined according to AOAC, 2000 method 981.12
and AOAC, 2000 method 942.15 respectively, color and the microbial quality of the tenderizer
were determined according to AOAC 988.13 method and ISO 7218:2007（E）respectively. Data
were entered in Microsoft excel and then transported to SPSS version 16.0 for statisticalanalysis.
The pH ranged from 3.81-6.02; with titratable acidity（TA）ranging between 0.0375% and0.2325% whereas color ranged between 0.3005-0.339AU, and between 0.297-0.341AU for yellow
and red color respectively during six months of storage; Total microbial count ranged between
1.8×102CFU/ml and 42×103CFU/ml. There was also significant decrease in pH from 6.115 to3.81 and TA value from 0.2325% to 0.0325%, total microbial count ranged between 1.8×
102CFU/ml and 42×103CFU/ml with time while the value for color ranged between 0.30050.339AU, and between 0.297-0.341AU for yellow and red color respectively and coliforms remain
63constant with time.
Therefore, meat tenderizer is suitable for human consumption and the shelf life of the
product is six months.
REFERENCES
Malu, S.P., Obochi G.O., Tawo E.N., Nyong, B. E.（2009）. Antibacterial Activity and Medicinal
Properties of Ginger（Zingiber Officinale）.Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences 15（3）:
365-368.
Tewari, B.B., Subramanian, G. & Gomathinayagm, R.（2014）. Antimicrobial properties of Carica
papaya（Papaya）different leaf extract against E. coli, S. aureus and C. albicans. Amer. J.
Pharm. Pharmacotherapeutics 1:25-39.

64

Socio-economic Factors Influencing Select African Indigenous
Vegetables’ Productivity amongst Smallholder Farmers.
A case study of Kabete Sub-County, Kiambu County, Kenya
Joan Murugi Macharia
Advisor: Dr. Kaibui Mwikamba
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
College of Agricultural and Natural Resources
School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics

African Indigenous Vegetables（AIVs）, most of which are leafy vegetables cooked prior
to consumption, have been grown and consumed in East Africa for decades, based on theireconomic and nutritional potential. Amaranth（Amaranthus spp.）,cowpea（Vigna unguiculata）,
African nightshade（Solanum spp.）and spider plant（Cleome gynandra）are the top four AIVs
grown in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda（Abukutsa, 2010）. Those four varieties are the mostcultivated AIVs by small-scale vegetable producers in eastern and central Kenya（Mbugua etal., 2011）.
In Kenya AIVs are mostly produced and supplied by smallholder farmers because theproduction of these crops is beneficial to these farmers as they can obtain higher prices
compared to those obtained for exotic vegetables（Ndenga et al. 2013; Weinberger & Pichop,2009）. Another thing worthy noting is that high returns from their sale have motivatedcommercialization of AIVs by small-scale farmers, who produce and supply them either
individually or collectively in groups（Ngugi et al. 2007; Muhanji et al. 2011; Weinberger et al.
2011）. In addition, while AIVs have long been slighted as “poor people’s food” or “famine food”（Mbhenyane et al. 2016; Weinberger & Msuya, 2004）, the presence of AIVs in Kenya’s urban
markets has significantly increased since the 2000s. The main reason for this is growing
consumer demand due to the nutritional benefits of these crops（Irungu et al. 2007）. AIVs are
now even served in some expensive restaurants in Nairobi （Cernansky, 2015）, and end
customers show a significant willingness to pay higher prices for high quality AIVs（Croft et al.
2014）. Hence increasing numbers of producers have responded to this trend in the last decadeand engaged in AIV production and marketing（Gotor & Irungu, 2010）.
Another reason for the increased number of AIVs smallholder farmers in Kenya is that
due to their high levels of micronutrients, AIVs are a very suitable tool to fight so-called“hidden hunger” （Msuya et al., 2009）. “Hidden hunger” describes a state in which people
consume enough calories but do not have enough nutrients available, and it is a very common
problem in Kenya （Muthayya et al., 2013）. Dark green, leafy vegetables can substantiallycontribute to the intake of calcium, iron, vitamin A and riboflavin, especially in young children（Faber et al., 2009）.
However, despite the increased number of AIVs producers in Kenya, due to low
productivity levels many AIVs smallholder farmers cannot supply adequately to meet theincreasing consumer demand levels of AIVs in urban and peri-urban markets. This is a problem
since most farmers depend on their agricultural output for income and sustenance. Hence when
their agricultural productivity is low, their income also lowers consequently leading them topoverty and food insecurity. It is important then to invest in increasing the sustainable65

production and utilization of AIVs. This can be attained through initiatives such as ensuring
supply of quality seed and development of environment friendly production and utilization
technologies. Improved production technologies like spacing, subsidized fertilizer rates and useof organic sources of manure will lead to increased yields and improved nutrition and economic
empowerment of the rural communities in Kenya and other parts of Africa, and in urban andperi urban regions（Abukutsa, 2003）.
Furthermore, socio-economic and institutional factors are also known to influence
agricultural productivity, particularly among smallholder farmers in terms of quantity andquality of agricultural produce（Al-Shadiadeh, 2012; Rogers,1995）. Socio-economic factors suchas age, gender, income, level of education among others have been found to have great
influence on the level of income generation on agricultural commodities especially on theamount produced as well as effectiveness of production （Al- Shadiadeh, 2012）. African
Indigenous Vegetables’ farming, cultivation and consumption have been studied widely
according to literature but very little has been done concerning factors affecting AIVs
productivity more so the socio- economic factors.
In Kabete sub-county, Kiambu County, amaranths, African nightshade and cowpea leaves
the most grown AIVs here, are a source of income and food security to the smallholder
farmers（youth included）who produce them and also a source of employment to the youths ofthe surrounding community. Although many smallholder farmers in Kabete sub-county havebeen producing AIVs for many years, little is known about their level of productivity and to thelevels of extent through which socio-economic factors and other related factors influence theirlevel of productivity together with other farmers of nearby regions. Therefore, the purpose ofthis study is to assess and document the level of productivity amongst select AIVs’ smallholder
farmers in Kabete sub-county and the degree to which socio-economic factors have influence on
the selected AIVs’ productivity in this region. This will therefore help improve the supply of theselected AIVs to meet the increasing demand of AIVs in both urban and rural areas. Selectionof Kabete Sub-county is important in the that it is centrally placed and borders Nairobi which isa metropolitan city and provides ready market for the AIVs.
Moreover, it is expected that at the end of the project, the demographic characteristics
that influence amaranths, African nightshade and cowpea leaves productivity amongst
smallholder farmers in Kabete sub-county will be determined, the contribution of amaranths,
African nightshade and cowpea leaves to the household wellbeing of their smallholder farmers
in Kabete sub-county will be determined, that major constraints in smallholder amaranths,
African nightshade and cow peas leaves productivity in Kabete sub-county will be identified
and analyzed and finally the level of youths involved in amaranths, African nightshade and cow
peas leaves production in Kabete sub-county will be assessed.
One possible way to address the problem of low productivity levels of AIVs among rural
areas is by actively engaging the students and the youths. Students and youths who havestudied or are well knowledgeable in the field of agriculture and its related disciplines can offer
free consultations and workshop trainings to farmers in the rural areas. This will be madepossible by working hand in hand with the agriculture extension officers who are based in therural areas. This will enable the farmers to have expert guidance and also the crucial
information they need so as to solve some of the challenges they face during the production of
AIVs and also come up with effective strategies on how to improve on their AIVs’ productivity.
This will also offer a great opportunity for knowledge and information transfer among thefarmers, students and the youth. A definite action that JKUAT has taken to ensure that suchan initiative is a success is by ensuring that students in my department as a requirement in66their coursework, they carry out their own research on issues facing their communities and thenation at large and make a positive impact with it. A great motivator for the students and theyouths to participate in such activities is the need to promote sustainable agriculture, which isthe backbone of Kenya’s economy and also improve the livelihood of farmers in the rural areas
In conclusion, we cannot improve what we do not measure, as such understanding how
socio-economic factors influence a given crop in each farming community is vital in developing
strategies to improve the productivity of that crop.
References
Abukutsa, O.M.O.（2003）. Unexploited potential of Indigenous African Vegetables in Western
Kenya. Maseno Journal of Education Arts and Science, 4（1）,103-122.
Abukutsa, O.M.O.（2010）. African indigenous vegetables in Kenya: Strategic Repositioning in the
Horticultural Sector. Inaugural Lecture, JKUAT, Nairobi Kenya 30th April.
Al-Shadiadeh, A.N., Al-Mohammady, F.M and Abu Zahrah, T.R. （2012）. Factors influencing
adoption of protected African indigenous vegetables Farming Practices Among Farmers in
Jordan Valley. World Applied Sciences Journal, 17（5）,572-578.
Cernansky, R. （2015）. The rise of Africa’s super vegetables. Nature, 522（7555）, 146-148.
https://doi.org10.1038/522146a
Croft, M. M., Marshall, M. I., & Weller, S. C.（2014）. Consumers’ preference or quality in three
African indigenous vegetables in Western Kenya. Journal of Agricultural Economics andDevelopment, 3（5）,67.
Faber, M., van Jaarsveld, P. J., & Laubscher, R.（2009）. The contribution of dark-green leafy
vegetables to total micronutrient intake of two- to five-year-old children in a rural setting.
Water SA, 33（3）.https://doi.org/1010.4314/wsa. v33i3.49153
Gotor, E., & Irungu, C.,［Charity］（2010）. The impact of bioversity international’s African leafy
vegetables programme in Kenya. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 28（1）, 41-55.
https://doi.org/1010.3152/
Irungu, C., Mburu, J., Maundu, P., Grum, M., & Hoeschle- Zeledon, I.（2007）.Analysis of markets
for African leafy vegetables within Nairobi ant its environs and implications for on-farmconservation of biodiversity. Rome, Italy: Global Facilitation Unit for Underutilized Species（GFU）.
Krause, H., Faße, A., & Grote, U.（2019）. Welfare and food security effects of commercializing
African indigenous vegetables in Kenya. Cogent Food & Agriculture, 5（1）,4. https://doi.org
10.1080/23311932.2019.1700
Mbhenyane, X., Venter, C., Vorster, H., & Steyn, S.（2016）. Nutrient intake and consumption ofindigenous foods among college students in Limpopo Province. South African Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, 18（1）,32-38. https://doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2005.11734035
Mbugua, G. W.,［G. W.］, Gitonga, L., Ndungu, B., Gatambia, E., Manyeki, L., & Karoga, J.（2011）.
African indigenous vegetables and farmer-preferences in Central Kenya. Acta Horticulturae,（911）, 479-485. https://doi.org /10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.911.56
Msuya, J. M., Mamiro, P., & Weinberger, K.（2009）.Iron, zinc and ß-Carotene nutrient potential
of non-culti- vated indigenous vegetables in Tanzania. Acta Horticulturae, （806）, 217-222.
https://doi.org/10.17660/ ActaHortic.2009.806.26
Muthayya, S., Rah, J. H., Sugimoto, J. D., Roos, F. F., Kraemer, K., Black, R. E., & Noor, A. M.
（2013）. The global hidden hunger indices and maps: An advocacy tool for action. PLoS ONE,8（6）
, e67860. https://doi.org/10.1371/ journal.pone.0067860
Ndenga, E. A., Achigan-Dako, E. G., Mbugua, G., Maye, D., & Ojanji, W.（2013）. Agricultural
diversification with indigenous vegetables for cash cropping and Nutrition: examples from
Rift Valley and Central Provinces in Kenya. Acta Horticulturae,（979）, 549-558. https://doi.
org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2013.979.59
Weinberger, K.,［Katinka］, & Pichop, G. N.（2009）.Marketing of African indigenous vegetables
along urban and peri- urban supply chains in Sub-Saharan Africa. African indigenous
vegetables in urban agriculture（pp. 225-244）.London, Sterling, VA: Earthscan.
67

Knowledge Dissemination by Linking Actions and Research:
Solutions for the Problems Faced by the Farmers in Sri Lanka
Sahitha Lochana Karapitiya
Advisor: Dr. Balapuwaduge Eresha Priyangika Mendis
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka

Background
Agriculture in Sri Lanka faces several challenges due to the poor linkage of research inagriculture and action. This hinders the achievement of economic, social, and environmental
sustainability. One of the main causes of these negative circumstances is the poor, declined or
inaccurate linkage of research, education, and action in the agricultural sector in Sri Lanka. At
present, knowledge dissemination in Sri Lanka is carried out by the Sri Lanka Agriculture
Extension Service（SAES）. The knowledge generated by research centres and universities are
disseminated mainly by officers attached to the SAES. As identified by Wanigasundera（2015）,
inadequate capacities of extension personnel, limited recognition of extension personnel,
inability to build on pluralism in extension delivery, and problems related to downsizing anddecentralizing public extension are some of the generic issues of the present agriculturalextension service in Sri Lanka. Undergraduates are also an important element of the
stakeholders of the agriculture sector in the country. However, the undergraduates ofagriculture programs in Sri Lanka do not engage much in the linking of research and action in
their undergraduate period.
The proposed project is designed to disseminate the knowledge of agricultural research
to the farmers and general public via undergraduates of agriculture. The objectives of the
proposed project are to link actions, research and education in agriculture value chains, toachieve environmental, social and economic sustainability through agriculture, increase theparticipation of the undergraduates of agriculture in knowledge dissemination, to increase theproductivity quality, efficiency and safety of the farm produce & products, to expose theundergraduates to real world of agriculture, to define problems in agriculture to which practicalsolutions are not yet applied. In addition to that, develop a database of problems and propose
effective solutions based on research, to innovate an autogenerated solution to problems basedon artificial intelligence, to raise the acceptance of agriculture academia among the generalpublic.
University Initiative and Students’ RoleThe project will be initially implemented at the Mahaillupallama Sub-Campus of theFaculty of Agriculture of University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. The undergraduates of theFaculty of Agriculture of University of Peradeniya follow a residential course of one semesterat the sub-campus. Mahaillupallama is in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. Mahaillupallama is in theAnuradhapura district which is one of the prominent districts in the country with a dense
68University Initiative and Students’ RoleThe project will be initially implemented at the Mahaillupallama Sub-Campus of theFaculty of Agriculture of University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. The undergraduates of theFaculty of Agriculture of University of Peradeniya follow a residential course of one
semester at the sub-campus. Mahaillupallama is in the dry zone of Sri Lanka.
farming population. Mahaillupallama is an ideal place to promote interaction the undergraduates
Mahaillupallama is in the Anuradhapura district which is one of the prominent districts
and the farming community.
in the country with a dense farming population. Mahaillupallama is an ideal place toTheinteraction
proposed projectwill be assigned
through
the faculty
as an assignment for the firstpromote
the undergraduatesandthe farming
community.

year undergraduates with the consent of the faculty along with academic programme. But the

The proposed project will be assigned through the faculty as an assignment for the
first-year undergraduates with the consent of the faculty along with academic programme.
approximately 6 months. In first week, 100 students are divided in to groups of five students
But the project is not originally part of the academic programme. The project will beeach.
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befirstintroduced
to a students
farming family.
Duringweek,
completedapproximately
months.
week, 100are divided
in thisto groups
thestudents
will each.
discussInwith
farmers
to eachselect groupa cropwill
for investigation.
thirdof five
students
the thesecondweek,
be introducedFrom
to a thefarmingfamily.
thisweek,students
willtodiscuss
the farmers
selectcrop forweek
to During
the sixth
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thethestudents
havevisit thewith
farmers
twice a toweek
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From
the
third
week
to
the
sixth
week,
the
students
have
to
visit
the
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problems on the selected crop. In the seventh week and the eighth week, the students will
twice toa weekto obtainliterature
the problems
theinternational
selected crop.toInobtainthe seventh
and andtherefer
the available
localonand
viable, week
efficienteighth week, the students will refer to the available literature local and international to
implementable solutions to the problems faced by farmers, the students will approach theobtain viable, efficient and implementable solutions to the problems faced by farmers, thesubject experts in the Faculty of Agriculture and various private and public sector
students will approach the subject experts in the Faculty of Agriculture and variousorganizations.
Fromsector
the nineth
week to thetwentieth
week,
the tostudents
will present
private and publicorganizations.
From
the nineth
week
the twentiethweek,their
thesolutionstothefarmingfamilyandcontinuously
assesstheprogressbyvisitingthefamersstudents will present their solutions to the farming family and continuously assess the
progressby visiting
twice
a week.
theif students
can arerevisetwice
a week.
During thethis famers
period, thestudents
canDuring
revise thistheirperiod,
solutionsthe solutions
nottheir solutions
if thesolutions
are tonottheviable.
From
the twentieth
to thetwentyfourthviable.
From thetwentieth
week
twentyfourthweek, theweek
students
will
present
the
week,
the
students
will
present
theproblems,
solutionsandtheprogress
to
the
staff
by
problems, solutions and the progress to the staff by preparing a database. After about two
preparing a database. After about two successive terms, the database will be used tosuccessive terms, the database will be used to generate an artificial intelligence-based program
generate an artificial intelligence-based program that could auto generates solutions forthat could auto generates solutions for the problems presented by the users. The author will be
the problems presented by the users. The author will be involved in the project ininvolved
the project
designing thethe farmer
project, groups,
selecting coordinating
the farmer groups,
coordinatingthedesigningin the
project,inselecting
the university
staff,
university
farmers and theengaged
undergraduates
engagedin the theproject,
assigning thefarmers andstaff,
the undergraduatesin the project,assigningundergraduatestogroups, monitoring
the project.
undergraduatesto groups,
monitoring the project.

project is not originally part of the academic programme. The project will be completed by

Anticipated Results
This project will provide an effective solution to the poor knowledge dissemination. This
increases the accessibility of knowledge of scientific findings to farmers and general public. The
untiring efforts of the researchers, scientists, and academia will become fruitful in the field. Thisempowers the farmers and entrepreneurs. This paves way for farmers and entrepreneurs togenerate more viable solutions based on the scientific research. Since the scientific knowledge isimparted, this could attract the youth to agriculture and hence it increases the participation ofyouth in agriculture and the economy as whole. The project will also eliminate the social
69

barrier between the learned and ordinary. Equity is ensured by providing solutions to where itis needed and further could promote institutional stability in agriculture. The above contributes
to the social sustainability and agriculture livelihood. The empowerment will increase the living
standards of the farmers. The increment in productivity and efficiency could lead to earn higher
profits from agriculture. This becomes return on investment for research and scientific work.
and alleviates the poverty of farmers. This project will be a path to improve environment
sustainability, because the solutions to the problems in agriculture are proposed in a scientificbasis. The undergraduates are the most capable segment of youth. Several advantages can becited in making the undergraduates to participate. They are more capable, novel, innovative,
free and more importantly trustworthy. It is observed that the undergraduates of agriculture
have keen interest to realize a sustainable development by expanding the circular agriculture in
the country. This will be the shear motivation that drives the undergraduates in the project.
The opposition of the existing government extension service, non-governmental extension
services, the reluctance of farmers to embrace new knowledge and controversies in theimplementation of certain research findings in the field might be some of the potential problems
that may arise. The proposed project activities will be carried out with cohesion among various
stakeholders including the extension officers. The project intends to create an attitudinaldevelopment in farmers to promote the acceptance of scientific work.
Anticipated Overall Outcome
The project will ultimately link actions, research and education in agriculture value chainsto achieve environmental, social and economic sustainability.
References
Central Bank Sri Lanka. （2020） Economics and social statistics of Sri Lanka. Statistics
Department. https://www.cbsl.gov.lk/sites/default/files/cbslweb_documents/statistics/
otherpub/ess_2020_e1.pdf
Wanigasundara, W. A. D. P.（2015）. Status of extension and advisory service in Sri Lanka.
Agriculture Extension in South Asia. Working Paper 01. Retrieved from https://www.
aesanetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/4.pdf
Wijerathna M.（2020）“Communication” in the Context of Agricultural Extension: Past, Present
and Way Forward in Achieving Sustainable Food Systems in Sri Lanka. In Marambe, B., J.
Weerahewa, W. S. Dandeniya（eds.）, Agricultural Research for Sustainable Food Systems in
Sri Lanka （pp. 389-412）. Springer. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344654641_
Communication_in_the_Context_of_Agricultural_Extension_Past_Present_and_Way_
Forward_in_Achieving_Sustainable_Food_Systems_in_Sri_Lanka

70

Promotion of Organic Farmingin Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia
Kim muyleang and Oum somara
Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Touch Narong
Tokyo University of Agriculture,
Graduate school of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Engineering

Background
Modern agriculture depends on high input of chemical fertilizer and pesticides for crop
production. Although such technology-based agricultural practice has increased agricultural
productivity and abundance, the resulting ecological and economic impacts have not always
been positive （FAO, 2017）. Environmental pollution and food safety due to chemical
contamination have become a great concern worldwide. In order to cope with this problem, theFood and Agriculture Organization（FAO）proposed “The World Food Summit Plan of Action（1999）” in recognition of the importance of developing alternative sustainable agriculture
practices such as organic farming. The goal of the Action Plan was to reduce environmental
degradation while creating income from the farming operation. Organic farming is an
integrated farming system which involves both technical aspects（soil, agronomy, weed, andpest management）and economic aspects（input, output, and marketing）as well as humanhealth. However, in Southeast Asia, the practices of organic agriculture are still very low（lessthan 2% share）.In the case of Cambodia, organic farming only occupies 0.2% of the total arable
land area.
Cambodia is located in Southeast Asia, has tropical climate which is affected by monsoon.
Agriculture is shearing about 20.7% for the GDP growth（World Bank, 2019）. Paddy rice is amain crop that covers 68% of total agricultural land in Cambodia. The farming system in
Cambodia is normally based on the application of chemical fertilizers, chemical pesticide,fungicide, and herbicide （FAOSTAT, 2016）. The use of high rates of chemical fertilizers
continuously for several years, often lead to unsustainability in production and pose threat tothe environment（Smith et al., 1990）. Traditional farming in Cambodia was depending on theused if farmyard manures, farmyard manure is available year-round, but the amount produced
was not enough. In recent years, with the support from the government and non-governmentalorganization（NGOs）, many Cambodian farmers realized and looked for a better agricultural
practice which could harmonize with natural environment and human health. Several practices
were carried out to promote the use of organic fertilizers such as green manure, compost, andbio-liquid fertilizer in some provinces. The use of organic fertilizers, it can reduce the input ofchemical fertilizer, as well as improve soil, water, and environmental quality. So, the purposes ofthis study were to discuss farmer current farming practices after the promotion of organic
farming and effect of organic fertilizer application on productivity and quality of soil.
71

Cambodia

CambodiaFigure Figure
1. Geographicalmaps of maps
Prey Chhor
Kampong
Cham Province
1. Geographicalof PreyDistrict,
Chhor District,Kampong
Cham Province
Methodology

Results

To understand the farmers’ perspective on organic farming, questionnaire surveys were

Figure 1. Geographical maps of Prey Chhor District, Kampong Cham Province
Beforethe project
implementation in 2009 more than 90% of farmers were applying chemical
distributed to 100 rice farmers that currently practice organic farming in Samraong and Baray
Cambodiafertilizers (N-P-K) and less than 10% applied compost fertilizer (Figure 2). After the projectCommune,Prey Chhor District, Kampong Cham province as shown on Figure 1.
Resultswhich
promotedorganic farming, farmers were likely to use organic fertilizer in combination
the project
implementationin 2009
than of90%
of farmers
were in
applying
chemical system
withBefore
chemicalfertilizers(Figure 3).
The moreamountrice
production
each farming
fertilizers
and lessthanorganic
10% appliedcompost being
fertilizer(Figurecompared2). After the
Results
differed;the(N-P-K)
production
withfertilization
higherto project
the chemical
which
promotedorganic
farming,
farmers
werelikelytouseorganic
fertilizer
incombination
fertilizationin BarayCommune(FigureWhenchemicalmore organic
Beforepractice
the project
implementationin 2009
more4).than
90% lessof farmers
wereandapplyingwithchemicalfertilizers(Figure3).
Theamountofriceproductionineach
farmingsystem quality
fertilizer
wereappliedfor more
than
1010%
years
the crop
production
increased,
indicatingchemicalfertilizers（N-P-K）
and
less
than
appliedcompostfertilizer（Figure
2）
.
After
the
differed; the production with organic fertilization being higher compared to the chemical
ofprojectthefarmlandsoil
improvedwhen
usingorganic
fertilizer.
fertilizationin organic
Baray Commune(Figure 4).
Whenlesstochemical
and moreorganic
which practicepromoted
farming, farmers
were
likelyuse organic
fertilizer
infertilizer were
for morethan （Figure
10 years theindicating
combination
withappliedchemicalfertilizers3）.crop
Theproduction
amount ofincreased,
rice productionin quality
eachof the farmland soil improved when using organic fertilizer.

Figure 1. Geographical maps of Prey Chhor District, Kampong Cham Province

Results
Before the project implementation in 2009 more than 90% of farmers were applying chemicalfertilizers (N-P-K) and less than 10% applied compost fertilizer (Figure 2). After the project
which promoted organic farming, farmers were likely to use organic fertilizer in combination
with chemical fertilizers (Figure 3). The amount of rice production in each farming systemdiffered; the production with organic fertilization being higher compared to the chemicalfertilization practice in Baray Commune (Figure 4). When less chemical and more organic
Figure 2. Farmer’s fertilization practices before the project implementation
fertilizerFigure
were applied
for morethan 10 years the crop
production increased, indicating quality
2. Farmer’s
fertilization
beforein Samraong
and Baraypractices
Communes
2010the project implementation in Samraongof the farmland
soil
improvedwhen
usingorganic
fertilizer.
Figure 2. Farmer’s fertilization practices
beforethe project
implementation in Samraong
and Baray
Communes
2010
and Baray Communes 2010

Figure 3. Farmers’ fertilization practices after the promotion of organic farmingin Samraong and Baray Communes, 2019
Figure 2. Farmer’s fertilization practices before the project implementation in Samraong
and Baray
72 Communes 2010
Figure 3. Farmers’ fertilization practices after the promotion of organic farming

Samraong andBaray Communes,
2019
Figure 3. Farmers’ infertilization
practices
after the promotionof organic farmingin Samraong and Baray Communes, 2019

Figure 4. Effects of fertilization practices on rice production in Cambodia

Figure 4. Effects of fertilization practices on rice production in Cambodia
farming system differed; the production with organic fertilization being higher compared to theConclusion
chemical fertilization practice in Baray Commune（Figure 4）. When less chemical and more

After
the fertilizer
project implementation
onmorethe promotionof organic
farming
in Samraong
andindicating
Baray
organic
were applied forthan 10 years
the crop
production
increased,
Communes, farmers have changed their farming styles by using organic fertilizer inquality of the farmland soil improved when using organic fertilizer.
combination with chemical fertilizers. Also, less chemical fertilizer and more organic
fertilizer have been applied for more than 10 years in Baray Commune which affected the soil
qualityand production. As the results, the rice production was higher in organic fertilizer
Conclusion
practice. In short, to achieve the sustainable agriculture, one must grasp the critical
After the project implementation on the promotion of organic farming in Samraong andimportance of soil. Only improving the soil fertility can help agriculture in Cambodia add
Baray
Communes,
farmers havefarming styles by using organic fertilizer inmorepotential
to productivity,
foodchanged
security theirand sustainability.
combination with chemical fertilizers. Also, less chemical fertilizer and more organic fertilizer

have been applied for more than 10 years in Baray Commune which affected the soil quality
References
and production. As the results, the rice production was higher in organic fertilizer practice. In

FAOSTAT.
2016.
Fertilizer
ImportandConsumption
forCambodia,
short, http://faostat.fao.org//Cambodia
to achieve the sustainable agriculture, one must grasp the critical importance of soil. Only

improvingfertility
can help
agriculture inhttp://www.fao.org/3/i6583e/i6583e.pdf
Cambodia add more potential to productivity,
FAO.
2017.theThesoil
Futureof Food
and Agriculture,
food security and sustainability.
Smith,
S.J., Schepers, J.S., and Porter, L.K. 1990. Assessing and managing agricultural
nitrogen losses to the environment, Advances in Soil Science, 14:1-32.

References
World
Bank. 2019. Cambodia: shear of economic sectors in the gross domestic product
FAOSTAT.
2016. 2009-2019.
Fertilizer Importand Consumption for Cambodia, http://faostat.fao.org//(GDP) fromhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/438728/share-of-economicsectors-in-the-gdp-in-cambodia/
Cambodia
FAO. 2017. The Future of Food and Agriculture, http://www.fao.org/3/i6583e/i6583e.pdf
Smith, S.J., Schepers, J.S., and Porter, L.K. 1990. Assessing and managing agricultural nitrogen
losses to the environment, Advances in Soil Science, 14:1-32.
World Bank. 2019. Cambodia: shear of economic sectors in the gross domestic product（GDP）
from 2009-2019. https://www.statista.com/statistics/438728/share-of-economic-sectors-in-thegdp-in-cambodia/

73Group F
Group theme

Education
Presenters:

Patcharawit Wilaikaew, Kasetsart University
Sakshi Chugh, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University
Laban Mercey M, Sokoine University of Agriculture
Wachira Joy Njeri, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
R Imam Nuryaman K, IPB University
Chairpersons:Sophavina Bunthan, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Ognen Onchevski, Tokyo University of Agriculture75

Application of Image Classification Modelin agricultural insect’s management
Patcharawit Wilaikaew
Advisor: Chalothon Chootong
Kasetsart University, Sriracha Campus, Faculty of Science at Sriracha,
Department of Computer Science and Information

Abstract - Around 10 million people work in the agro-industry in Thailand, of which 5
million people relate to planting （Office of Agricultural Economics, 2020）. However, within
natural factors, farmers in the country continue to struggle with low productivity that causes
an economic value decreasing in agriculture（Peter & Waleerat, 2020）. These factors can beweather, rain volume, soil quality, and pest. Insects also are the main problem of agriculture.
There are many insects, some of the benefits for agricultural products, but some species candestroy agricultural products. They will interrupt the growth cycle of farming products. It iseasy for an expert person who has the experience to recognize insects and pests which aregood or effective to plant. However, many young agriculturists have many problems with
insects and plants because they have no experience. There is a problem with a generation gap
between old and young agriculturists. Also, primarily young agriculturists have less experience
than old.
With the growing up of technology and algorithm, there is a lot of system and applicationthat can solve the agriculture problems such as Plants for U, Farm Manage, Sirrus, Skippy
Scout, Crop Nutrient Advisor, etc. Based on my study, I would like to propose the idea todevelop a mobile application to solve this problem. The advantages of this application arewhether these insects give benefits or not and give knowledge about the advantages anddisadvantages of insects. Moreover, we can extend the scope of application to collectagriculture knowledge and compel newcomers to continue to carry on local knowledge and pass
it on to the next generations forever. Furthermore, based on the performance of mobile, we candevelop a lot of applications that can connect to other devices for planting control.
Currently, it is in the process of producing an application. The tool that I chose to use wasobject detection merging with a mobile application for easy access by everyone or someone
who didn’t feel good at technology. First, gather insect information to know what species canbenefit or what species can damage agricultural products in this process. We can identify the
species of insect. We have to collect more data to train the machine learning model for building
an object detection model. After training the model to the satisfactory stage, we will develop a
mobile application. The application can easily present a trained model like open this app andscan to the insect in front of you then let the application procedure that this insect is given
profits or cause damage to agricultural products.
From the information obtained from THE NEW ECONOMY website（Charlotte Gifford,
2020）, pests can cost the economy billions every year. If we have something to solve about76

pest’s problem, then we can reduce some costs and get more profits. Besides, everyone canefficiently protect the environment use this mobile app. In the same way, we can minimize theexperience gap between old and young agriculturists by enhancing immature insects and pests
wise with a mobile application database. When pests are eliminated, agricultural products’
growth cycle will usually work and result in more productivity. From all the above reasons, it
demonstrates that the benefits that are received from this application are all economic,
environmental, and social.
Then talking about how other youth will involve from this, everyone will be helping tomaintain the agricultural growth cycle. In addition, knowledge about insects and pests can bepassed on to future generations by learning from various insect databases in the application. It
is also suitable for those who want to know about insects and pests to improve agriculture.
What is problematic with this project is how to obtain comprehensive information on all insects
and pests, then train it to be a model and enhance the model of the best performance. In
addition, there may be unknown insect species on our planet. And there is always research andstudy of insects every day. As of today, some species of insects may have a positive effect on
agriculture. But in the future, if research is to be done, finding that this species does not benefit
anymore, that will bring recurrent database updating to keep the information accurate. And
some species look like that’s why it is hard to detect what species is that. We can extend andfocus on doing object detection to the leaves and process what tree disease it is by further
development.
Therefore, from all the above information, I would like to summarize in a simple way tounderstand how beneficial this application will be if it has been developed completely. First, it
can know which insects are beneficial to agricultural products or not separating by using insect
trained model. So, it is possible to reduce the extermination of beneficial insects and reduce
unnecessary pesticide rates. Second, this application serves as a medium of knowledge
dissemination. So, it can reduce the gap between old and young agriculturists’ experiences
about pests and insects.
ReferenceCharlotte Gifford.（2020）.Pests cost the economy billions every year － but natural predators canhelp. The New Economy. From: https://www.theneweconomy.com/strategy/pests-cost-theeconomy-billions-every-year-but-natural-predators-can-help. Access May 26, 2021.
Office of Agricultural Economics.（2020）.Agriculture Statistic in Thailand Report. from: https://www.opsmoac.go.th/nakhonsithammarat-dwl-files-421191791137. Access May, 26, 2021.
Peter W. and Waleerat S.（2020）. Agricultural Productivity Growth and Poverty Reduction:
Evidence from Thailand. Journal of Agriculture Economics. Wiley Online Library. 72（2）.525546.

77

Engaging Youth in Indian Agriculture Education
for Ensuring Food and Environmental Security
SakshiAdvisor: Prof. Ravi Gupta
Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University,
College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Hisar（Haryana）India

Agriculture is the backbone of our country; more than 80% of the population is dependent
on this sector. In India agriculture is not just a food chain, it is a way of life. In the late 60s
India was importing food for its 45 million population but now India is not only feeding its
population of 130 million, it has enough buffer stock of around 60MMT. The National Food
Security Act 2013 ensures right of food to everyone, even during crises situation like thepandemic of COVID-19 people do not go without food. During the pandemic of COVID, 80
million people are getting free food through government distribution system. The production offood grains is also all time high with a production of more than 300MMT（2020-21）. All thiswas achieved due to trained human resource, science & technology advancement, agriculture
research & education and better infrastructure. However, lack of scientific knowledge at userlevel, improper coordination & management and over exploitation of natural resources broughtsome black spots to agriculture production system. Major challenges faced by agriculture aresmall and fragmented land-holdings, insufficient irrigation facilities, lack of mechanization, lackof mechanization friendly varieties, agricultural marketing, inadequate primary & secondary
processing units, storage and transport facilities, scarcity of capital to farmers and overdependence on traditional cropping system as well as cropping pattern. .
In order to overcome these challenges, various steps can be taken such as consolidation offragmented farm lands at the grass-root level under the supervision of the government. The
students of agricultural sciences are sensitizing farmers about the FPOs（Farmers Producer
Companies）and helping them in creating their own FPO. Though the share of agriculture
sector in National GDP is only 14 % but 70-80 % population is associated with this sector. Anysocial or financial progress cannot be achieved until it is farming centric. Government of India
has launched many schemes for the benefit of the farmers and the farming community but
most of the times the benefits do not reach those for whom the schemes are meant. Students ofagricultural sciences stay in the villages during their graduation program and are now coming
forward to sensitize the farming community about these schemes. Various plans have beenlaunched and implemented by Indian government. Some of the schemes are listed below.
・Paramparag at Krishi Vikas Yojana（Traditional Agriculture Development Programme）: Thishas been launched to motivate groups of farmers to take up organic farming.
・Krishi Sinchai Yojana（Agriculture Irrigation Plan）: This scheme aims to give a boost to
productivity by ensuring irrigation facilities. Farmers are being educated about modern
irrigation methods to give ‘Per Drop More Crop’.
78

・Soil Health Cards（SHC）: Schemes related to nutrient management like Soil Health Cards（SHC）have been introduced to check the over use of fertilizers and to optimize the inputs
for enhancing productivity of specific crops in a sustainable manner. Government aims toissue SHC to all 14 crore holdings in India.
・National Agriculture Market（e-NAM）: This scheme gives an e-marketing platform at thenational level and supports creation of infrastructure to enable e-marketing.
・National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture（NMSA）: It is one of the eight Missions under
the National Action Plan on Climate Change（NAPCC）. It is aimed at promoting Sustainable
Agriculture via climate change adaptation measures, boosting agriculture productivity
especially in rain fed areas focusing on integrated farming, soil health management &synergizing resource conservation.
After graduation, participation of students in practical farming is very little. Agriculture
graduates rarely utilize their knowledge in practical farming .This must change. There arecompanies working for agricultural development, students can join them as freelancers andmake meaningful contribution to the agricultural sector.. Students’ bonding with farmers is vital.
There are success stories where individual students are working with the farmers in rural area
and creating self-help groups in a cluster of villages. Students should also meet farmers andconduct meetings, visit fields, understand the farmers’ problems and think how they can solve
those issues using innovative processes and ideas. There are Young Agriculture Innovators e.g.
19 year old teenager Veenadhari Kollipara who used technology to improve the efficiency ofagriculture. She built an agricultural drone（aerial survey system）which is inexpensive andmulti-functional to help the farmers. Similarly, Mr.Rajpal Rathore of Madhaya Pradesh（INDIA）
left a lucrative job in Europe and is now helping farming community in solving their technicaland social issues. He is also helping by linking social media to agriculture. A few of our post
graduate students took farming as a career and they are role models for all of us. One of such
student is Manoj Bhatia（Karnal, Haryana － India）,a post graduate in vegetable Science doing
scientific vegetable production and marketing through FPOs.
Government of India has recently launched National Education Policy 2020（NEP 2020）
The aim of the policy is to create knowledge based society; it should not be about passing
information or knowledge, it should be about developing critical thinking, The main purpose of
the policy is to develop good human beings capable of rational thought and action, possessing
scientific temper and to create good education institutions where a wide range of learning
experiences are offered to all students. NEP envisions an education system that will transform
India, that is Bharat, sustainably into an equitable and vibrant knowledge society, by providing
high-quality education to all. This will help young kids see agriculture as a potential career.
Agriculture graduates can avail this opportunity and contribute a lot as master trainers for
agriculture education.
There are new opportunities and challenges for students engaged in National Agriculture
Research and Education System for ensuring food and environmental security. The policy
support system should promote students to setup agri-business this will connect public, people,
and peasant, partnerships that would help price mechanism, value addition, and marketing79innovations. Some of the new areas for start-up can be as follows:
1. Data analysis and development of decision support system: Big data analysis is required for
creating synergies among various interactions for sustainable agriculture. Analysis of quality
data and information chain is essential to make decisions. Students can take up this as a newchallenge.
2. Crop marketing: Farmers are not good businessmen. Students can develop market intelligence
research system. Students can help them in setting up good supply and marketing chain.
However, when it comes to money farmers compromise their health and go for productivity.
At times they even don’t care about their own families. They must be educated about ill
effects of indiscriminate usage of chemicals. They should be told about the benefits of thebalanced use of traditional and non- traditional ways of farming. Economic incentives must be
given to farmers to grow chemical free crops. This will lead to sustainability as well as
nutritional security.
3. Extension services: Extension services have to be proactive to really convey clearly at grassroot level. A combined and wholesome message should be conveyed to farmer. Include
nutritional proficiency and profitability that the farmer would get by adopting different
policies and technologies. Nutritional security along with food security is very important.
4. Research services: Student’s research should be able to guide us what to grow under what
conditions, when to grow and where to grow, and how to grow. All this research should keep
economic incentive at centre stage.
No matter how best we do in agriculture in terms of production and research but farmers’
income is the first and foremost requirement in the sustainable development process. This canonly be achieved through young minds putting their thoughts together for bringing
competitiveness, increase in efficiency and eco-costing considerations in agriculture production
system.
Acknowledgement: I thank Dr. Aparna, Associate Professor （English）, Department of
Languages & Haryanvi Culture, College of Basic Sciences & Humanities CCS Haryana
Agricultural University Hisar, Haryana（India）for helping me in preparing the manuscript.

80Personal factors affecting consumer purchasing
decisions towards women skin care products（A case study at Saba Saba ward in Morogoro Municipality）
LABAN MERCEY M
Advisor: Ms. MARCEL M,
Sokoine University of Agriculture, College of Agriculture, Department of Food Technology,
Nutrition and Consumer Science

Purchase decision is the thought process that leads consumer from identify a need,
generating options and chose specific product and brand （Roseta et al., 2020）. Consumerpurchase decision is the decision-making process used by consumers regarding the market
transactions before, during and after the purchase of good or services. It can also be seen as aparticular form of cost benefits analysis in the presence of multiple alternatives（Harahap andAmanah, 2020）. Personal factors are characteristics that are specific to a person and may not
relate to other people within the same group. These characteristics may include how a person
makes decisions, their unique habits, interests and opinions（Lee et al., 2019）. Personal factors
include age, life cycle, economic status, life style, personality and self-concept. These factors
influence consumers` decision during purchasing process（Khuong and Duyen, 2016）.
Many Tanzania women purchase skin care products because of the word of mouth when
they meet with sellers（Rekha and Gokila, 2015）. And recently they continue to use damaging
skin-bleaching cosmetics that contain dangerous chemicals（mercury）that may increase theirrates of infertility, skin cancer, and serious skin/brain/kidney disease despite government effort
towards providing skin care products education and prohibition of those harmful skin careproducts （Djafarova and Rushworth, 2017）. Women continue to use those products forremoving pimples, rashes, skin disease ,to have soft skin, to be browning, “beautiful,” and more
European looking（Sanny et al., 2020）. Not only that but also they use to remove the adverse
effects of extended skin bleaching use on the body, to satisfy one’s partner and/or attract male
mates, to satisfy and impress peers and others they want to look like famous and popularcelebrities who advertise a skin care products（Pollock et al., 2020; Jackson, 2016）. This study
focused on how these factors influence women towards skin care products purchasing. The
study aimed at assessing women awareness about personal factors influencing them during
purchasing of skin care products, to find out general factors affecting consumer purchasing
decisions towards women skin care products, to assess personal factors influencing womenpurchasing decisions and to assess women strategies before purchasing skin care products in
Morogoro Municipality. Face to face interview was conducted to 146 respondents from
Sabasaba by using questionnaire contained both open ended and closed ended questions, thendata were analyzed by using SPSS software version 20 and Microsoft Excel（2010）.
Results revealed that 116（79.5%）of respondents were aware about skin care products
and 30 （20.5%） were not aware about the skin care products. The awareness among81respondents were obtained through different sources where by 61（41.78%）got informationfrom social media, 40（27.397%）from family members, 37（25.34%）from friends, 6（4.10%）
from co-workers and 2 （1.369%） from shops. About general factors influencing womenpurchasing decisions towards skin care products this study revealed that 100 （68.49%） of
respondents were influenced by advertisement, 27（18.49% by popular brand and 19（13.01%）
by price. Based to personal factors, results revealed that 75（51.36%）of respondents were
influenced by status, 60（41.09%）by attraction, 6（4.10%）by uniqueness and 5（3.42%）by theirpersonality. In term of purchasing strategies results revealed that 112（76.71%）of respondents
conducted research before purchase of skin care products by asking the shopkeepers, asking
friends and search in the internet and 34（23.28%）of respondents did not conduct research
they just bought from any shop. The factors affecting consumer purchasing decisions towards
skin care products reported from this study were similar to those reported in a study done in
Thailand by Chin et al. 2018）.
From the finding of this study it was concluded that majority116（79.5%）of women at
Sabasaba ward in Morogoro Municipality became aware on skin care products through friends,
family members and internet. General factors influenced their purchasing decisions were price,
popular brand and advertisement while personal factors were status, uniqueness, personality
and attraction. Therefore, results from this study recommend that government should provide
enacting laws that will monitor and regulate manufacturing and distribution of skin careproducts to ensure safe products and burn all skin bleaching products. Additionally, skin careproducts advertisement should be presented by naturally look African celebrities rather thanfocusing on Europeans so that African women can see themselves as beautiful and attractive.
Furthermore, skin care products industries they should focus much on manufacturing of skincare products that contains natural ingredients so that to prevent skin damages among women.
Moreover, this study advices Tanzanian women to embrace themselves by consideringpurchasing of skin care products that contains natural ingredients from plants because skinbleaching products have been associated with problems like skin cancer, infertility andrespiratory problem.
Not only Government but also female University students should be ambassadors fornatural skin care products so that other women who live around universities to learn fromthem. Responses of the University students from Morogoro on the use of natural skin careproducts will help other women in Morogoro region to learn and hence start using natural
products since most women believe that female university students know best products forskin care. Moreover, students from Family and Consumer Studies from Sokoine University ofAgriculture should exercise their consumer education knowledge in educating Tanzanian
women on the proper selection and use of skin care products as well as the negative impacts
that may result due to the use of skin- bleaching products. They can also use their consumer
counseling knowledge to counsel women who have been affected by skin-bleaching products
and advise them to opt for natural remedies and skin care products.
Likewise, I as Family and Consumer expert I will use my knowledge and experience fromthis study to teach women on the proper selection of skin care products, basic ingredients to82

consider in selecting skin care products, harmful ingredients to avoid in selecting skin careproducts, effects of skin-bleaching products as well as the impacts of those effects on theindividual health as well as the community at large. I will also emphasize them on the use ofnatural skin care products and remedies for those already affected by harmful products. I
believe that my knowledge and position as a role model on the usage of natural products will
impact many women and hence save their money and time to be wasted on purchasing skinbleaching products as well as for treating skin damages resulting from the use of those
products.
REFERENCES
Chin, J., Jiang, B. C., Mufidah, I., Persada, S. F., & Noer, B. A.（2018）. The investigation of
consumers’ behavior intention in using green skincare products: a pro-environmental behavior
model approach. Sustainability, 10（11）,3922.
Djafarova, E., & Rushworth, C.（2017）. Exploring the credibility of online celebrities’ Instagram
profiles in influencing the purchase decisions of young female users. Computers in Human
Behavior, 68, 1-7.
Harahap, D. A., & Amanah, D.（2020）. Determinants of Consumer Purchase Decision in SMEs.
International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 9（3）,3981-3989.
Jackson, A. C.（2016）.Attempting whiteness: Black women’s expected and actual results of skinbleaching: An International Journal, 7（2）,1-20.
Khuong, M. N., & Duyen, H. T. M. （2016）. Personal factors affecting consumer purchasedecision towards men skin care products — A study in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance, 7（2）,44-50
Lee, J. E., Goh, M. L., & Noor, M. N. B. M. （2019）. Understanding purchase intention ofuniversity students towards skin care products. PSU Research Review.
Pollock, S., Taylor, S., Oyerinde, O., Nurmohamed, S., Dlova, N., Sarkar, R., & Kourosh, A. S.
（2020）. The dark side of skin lightening: An international collaboration and review of a publichealth issue affecting dermatology. International Journal of Women’s Dermatology.

83

Development and assessment of the physiochemical
characteristics of cookies made using a flour blend of wheat,sesame seeds and Bambara groundnut.
Wachira Joy Njeri
Advisor: Dr. Lynette Dinga
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
College of Agricultural and Natural Resources
School of Food and Nutrition Sciences
Department of Human Nutrition Sciences

Production of functional foods with beneficial nutritional properties, remains a challenge
for developing countries including Kenya, especially with the increased consumer interest in
functional foods that can fulfill consumer needs. Urbanization has led to nutrition transition
towards processed and convenience foods among urban dwellers, due to lack of resources suchas time and energy required to prepare their own foods. A study reviewed by the African
Population and Health Research Centre （2019） on the dietary transition in Kenyan cities,
indicated that out of 144 individuals, 89.9% consumed energy dense, nutrient poor foods and thatan additional 57.65% ate sweet foods. Low income urban households face an increased risk ofmalnutrition problems not only from their limited financial resources but also from accessibility
constraints to clean water supply and sanitation required for making nutritious meals.
One of the objectives of the National Food and Nutrition Security Policy（2011）is toincrease the quantity and quality of food available, accessible and affordable to all Kenyans at all
times. One way of achieving this is through dietary diversification. This is an example of a
micro intervention that aims to change food consumption patterns at the house hold level.
Incorporation of some local foods in the diet will ensure affordability of high, nutrition dense
foods which would in turn make them accessible to the population especially those living inrural and low urban income areas who lack the resources to prepare nutritious foods.
Promotion of some of the traditional crops could also help increase access to nutrient richfoods. Underutilized and neglected crops are especially important in ensuring sustainableagriculture as they have a high nutritional profile, adaptability to climatic conditions as well as
resistance to drought, pests and diseases. Bambara groundnut（Vigna subterranea）is a good
example of this type of legumes which has been shown to be more superior in terms of its
nutritional profile compared to other foods. In their work（Murevanhema et al., 2013）pointed
out the comparability of bambara groundnut to that of soybean. They also compared theprotein content of bambara groundnut and whole fresh cow milk and found it to be 15-25% and3.2% respectively. Most studies have focused on improving the seed varieties so as to increase
its growth and production rather than its utilization. This particular area of study has been
overlooked, hence the need to examine its potential use as flour.
A growing body of literature has investigated the use of non-wheat food materials in84

making of composite flours. These composite flours are advantageous as they enable the use ofindigenous/neglected crops and they also reduce the over-dependence on staple crops. In
addition, the use of composite flours results in nutritional complementation due to the various
cereals and legumes used, which make up for the lacking nutrients in each. Data collected by
the United States Department of Agriculture（2021）and Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition（2015） highlighted the iron content in wheat flour as （3.88mg/100g）, bambara groundnut（3.3/100g）, sesame seeds（14.6mg/100g）whereas protein content of wheat flour and bambara
groundnut was （13.7g/100g） and （18.1g/100g） respectively. In this context, the aim of mystudy will be to evaluate the functionality of composite flours in making of different products
and whose research could help increase the use of composite flours in the future.
This project will consist of two phases. The first phase will involve subjecting the sesame
seeds and bambara groundnut to a number of processing methods so as to improve the sensory
properties and overall quality of the final product. Some of the students from the Jomo
Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology will take part in a descriptive sensory
analysis of the cookies. A hedonic test will be performed to evaluate the sensory attributes of
the cookies. The information obtained from the analysis will be used to determine the overall
consumer acceptability of the cookies.
The second phase will consist of comparative physiochemical tests in order to determine
the effect of addition of these flours on the physical and chemical properties of the cookies. This
will include carrying out proximate composition analysis to quantify the amount of the main
components of food as well as microbial tests to determine the shelf life of the cookies. The
experimental procedures will be done in compliance with the AOAC methods of 1995.
Consequently, the findings will be interpreted and put into comparison with existing literature
with the hope that the results may broaden the current knowledge on composite flours as wellas their application in the future.
References
African Population and Health Research Center.（2019）. Dietary transitions in Kenyan cities:
Leveraging evidence for intervention and policy to prevent diet-related non-communicablediseases.https://aphrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Food-choices-WP-Summaries.pdf
Agricultural Research Service.（2021）. FoodData Central: Foundation Foods（FDC Publication
No. 789951）.U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/
A.O.A.C.（1995）. Official methods of analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists
10th ed. Vol. Ⅱ Washington, DC, U.S.A.
Biodiversity for food and nutrition.（2015）: Vigna subterranea. http://www.b4fn.org/resources/
species-database/detail/vigna-subterranea/
Murevanhema, Y., Jideani, &Victoria（2015）. Milk from bambara groundnut. Journal of Food
Processing and Preservation, 39, 1485-1498. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.12368
National Food and Nutrition Security Policy.（2011）. Kenya. Agricultural Sector Coordination
Unit（ASCU）.https://extranet.who.int/nutrition/gina/en/node/8241

85

Farmer Ranger: A New Paradigm Shiftof Youth Agriculture Development in Indonesia
by Optimizing Local Institution and Ag Big Data
R Imam Nuryaman K
Advisor: Prof. Dr. Ir. Ujang Sumarwan, M.Sc
Department of Communication Science and Community Development
Faculty of Human Ecology
IPB University

Indonesia’s founding father firmly stated that “Food is a matter of the life or death of anation”. This paradigm continues to strive as a rationale embodiment of Indonesia’s existence
for decades to come. However, Indonesia is currently undergoing an imminent threat in theform of a triple-burden of farmers which includes a decrease in farmer quantity, lack ofagricultural human capital, and weak farmer governance institutions. The number of farmers
kept sinking recently as recorded by the World Bank（2021）which showed a roughly 12%
decline in the last decade. This problem is getting complex due to the fact that only a third of
young people are working in the agricultural workforce in Indonesia（BPS, 2020）. On the other
hand, the low quality of agricultural human capital also shares a meta urgency for agricultural
productivity. Accordingly, the education level of 83.12% farmers in Indonesia are only in thebasic level status（BPS, 2020）. Whereas, the demographic structure of Indonesian farmers is in
the aging mode, with 52 years average age（BPS, 2018）. This in fact shares a major shock forIndonesia’s agricultural sustainability, given the fact that the level of education is
predominantly correlated with agricultural productivity and farmer shares （Aryawati andBudhi, 2018）. The problem of farmers’ decline and its quality issues are also exacerbated by the
weakness of farmer institutional governance. Based on the report（Idris et al., 2018）, these
problems include lack of supporting regulations, limited number of development programs, lackof synergy between institutions, small economies of scale, and institutional disorientation. The
triple-burden of farmer’s pitfalls illustrates the critical challenges of agriculture development inIndonesia which resulted in the shock of farmer welfare. Though the agricultural sector shares
9.41 % for countries GDP, nonetheless this sector is listed as the lowest sector that provides
income per capita among others（Siregar, 2017）. Based on the BPS report（2020）, the averagelevel of farmers’ net income in Indonesia is only Rp 1.050.600 per month. Meanwhile, 46% ofthem are now currently living below the poverty line（Antara, 2021）.
At the same time, Indonesia is experiencing an enormous megatrend of demographics
bonuses in 2030, when the number of productive population is greatly-dominating the workforce
supply（Afandi, 2017）. In response to that, it’s necessary to provide the availability of qualified
jobs in harnessing the fullest potentials of it（World Bank, 2020）. The demographic bonus is aflinch point for the agricultural sector, considering that the majority of the demographic
distribution belonging to the young age lives in rural areas and 87% of them are predominantly
specialized in agriculture sector （BPS, 2018）. On the other hand, Indonesia’s agriculturaldevelopment is enjoying a unique advantage of the covid-19 pandemic. The rising concern
86related to the urgency of food security during the pandemic have triggered more intervention
to be directed to the agricultural production sector, including to ensure the agricultural labormarket remain resilient, despite the fact that there is emerging trend job transition to theagricultural sector and democratization of economic activity in rural areas（The World Bank,
2020）. In fact, this pandemic shows the agricultural sector as the most resilient sector with its
significant contribution to the economic growth as well as a buffer of national economy（Suryana et al., 2020）. Nonetheless, the foreseeable challenge requires a breakthroughintervention which could also resolve the triple burden of farmers whilst harnessing thecurrent megatrend order for achieving Sustainable Development Goals（SDGs）.
The Government of Indonesia has launched numerous interventions on youth agriculture
development, such as promoting youth agriculture entrepreneurs program （PWMP）,
strengthening the role of Agriculture Extension Centers （BPP） through the Kostratani
program, the Youth Entrepreneurship and Employment Support Services（YESS）program,and the Millennial Farmer Program. These programs have targeted young-energetic students
to become new slots farmers in Indonesia through the agriculture training, assistance, andagricultural grants. The rising of youth-lead agribusiness start-up is one of the success stories
coming from the aforementioned program, mentioning Rizal Fahreza as a former student of IPB
University as well as a CEO of the Eptilu, a leading one-stop agribusiness start-up which could
reach million dollars by providing agropreneur, agrotourism, and agro-education services（Nadhira, 2020）. However, the intervention program enacted by the government remains
partially delivered with its limited scale of inclusion, considering the miss-matched linkage
between program value chain where the aspect of youth agriculture institution has not been
optimized as the locus of agricultural development in Indonesia. Hence, it is necessary toprovide a strategic ecosystem that connects various accesses of strategic institutional
development for youth in agriculture.
The development of youth agriculture institutions has not strategically been designed in
the agricultural development action plan. In fact, this institution was organically emerged at thegrassroot level under the Taruna Tani group. This youth farmers group consists of roughly
10-20 members of student and rural youth who are running agricultural activities. It istherefore important to harness this local institution as a locus for agriculture development witha strategic ecosystem toward increasing the economy of scale of youth farmers, such as the
Corporate Farming scheme. This institutional governance reform needs to be tailored with theinclusion of technology 4.0 such as big data and artificial intelligence（AI）, as an operational
basis of this strategy. Hence, the author proposes a breakthrough innovation, called Farmer
Ranger, an institutional governance reform strategy of youth agriculture by using smart
institution within the ecosystem framework of building youth corporate farming in each
Agriculture Extension Centers district （BPP）. Farmer Ranger optimizes the role of smart
institution comprising big data and artificial intelligence （AI） in order to design a digital
ecosystem which can produce a precise series of recommendations for advanced youth
agriculture institutional development programs in realizing the fullest potential of farming in atimely and coordinated manner.
Farmer Ranger entails four recommended features which target students and rural youth
under the scheme of Kopertani, including as follows: First, Tanyatani, which enables young
farmer groups to connect with personalized agricultural extension and consultant services.
87Second, Bisatani, which offers a revolutionary framework of integrated agriculture capacity
building program for students with the existing one-stop penta helix program. Third, Opportani,
which could support young farmers or students to connect with strategic agriculturalinternship and exchange programs in respective partners of agricultural enterprises. Last,
Lokatani, which delivers a breakthrough innovation in agricultural grants procurement foryouth farmers or students in a precise manner. The whole activities of Taruna Tani in runningthe designated recommendation can automatically be monitored by the Agriculture Extension
Centers district （ BPP ） through the digital dashboard. The digital dashboard is aninterconnected system which can clusterize each Taruna Tani young farmer group’s standing
position. Thus, the Agricultural Extension Center can periodically measure an appropriate
intervention needed, especially in building youth corporate farming from the consolidation of
Taruna Tani group. As the downstream factor of the strategy, youth corporate farming are
specialized into three business models, comprises as follows : 1）Agropreneur, focused on foodproduction and commercialization of the nationals prioritization agricultural commodities
alongside with the local potential such as porang commodity; 2）Technopreneur, specialized ontechnology-based agricultural products and services, such as consultant for smart farming
infrastructure; 3） Sociopreneur, designed on creating added value for social impact inagriculture sector as meta orientation of business development, such as profit sharing for
women in agriculture. The implementation of the Farmer Ranger strategy requires acollaborative measure through the Penta helix approach, mentioning the role of government,
private sector, academia, civil society, and media. This approach, aside from optimizing the
program’s implementation, also offers mutually-exclusive benefits to each stakeholder which
ensures the involvement of students to foster the agriculture sector in a prosperous way.
References
Afandi, T.（2017）. Bonus Demografi 2030-2040: Strategi Indonesia Terkait Ketenagakerjaan dan
Pendidikan. In Kementerian Perencanaan Pembangunan Nasional（Bappenas）.
Antara. （2021）. BPS Sebut Rumah Tangga Miskin Terbesar dari Sektor Pertanian. Tempo
Bisnis. https://bisnis.tempo.co/read/1433905/bps-sebut-rumah-tanggamiskin-terbesar-darisektor-pertanian.
Aryawati, N. P. R., dan Budhi, M. K. S.（2018）. Pengaruh produksi, luas lahan dan pendidikan
terhadap pendapatan petani dan alih fungsi lahan Provinsi Bali. E jurnal EP Unud［internet］,
1918-1952
Badan Penyuluhan dan Pengembangan SDM Pertanian.（2019）.Draft Renstra 2020 - 2024.
Central Bureau of Statistics.（2018）. Agriculture Survey 2018. https://sirusa.bps.go.id/sirusa/
index.php/dasar/pdf?kd=3576&th=2018
Badan Pusat Statistik.（2020）.Statistik Pemuda Indonesia
Idris, A. M. S., Juari, Saleh, M. I., Winata, E. S., & Hazet, F. A.（2018）. Policy Brief: Sinergi,
Sinkronisasi, dan Konsolidasi Kelembagaan Petani di Lahan Irigasi
Ministry of Agriculture Republic of Indonesia （2020）. Employment Statistic in Agriculture
Sector 2020. http://epublikasi.setjen.pertanian.go.id/arsip- perstatistikan/164-statistik/
statistik-tenaga-kerja-pertanian
Siregar, A. R.（2017）. Analisis Pengaruh Rasio Profitabilitas dan Rasio Solvabilitas terhadap
Pergerakan Harga Saham Sektor Pertanian Indonesia ［Skripsi］. Bogor （ID）
: Institut
Pertanian Bogor
World Bank Group. （2020）. Indonesia Economic Prospects: The Long Road to Recovery.
Indonesia Economic Prospect.
88Group G
Group theme

Environment
Presenters:

Euan Tomes, University of the Highlands and Islands
Igor Cemercic, University of East Sarajevo
Sofiia Salnyk, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine
Julius Mwangi Kamita, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
Chairpersons:Fredrick Mwaikenda Mussa, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Parneel, Tokyo University of Agriculture89

Deer Management Practices in European Forestry
and their Potential
Future Applications in Scottish Forestry
Euan Tomes
Advisor: Amanda Bryan, MSc.
University of the Highlands and Islands, Scottish School of Forestry

Managing wild deer populations in woodlands is a challenging yet essential part ofsustainable forest management and development. Scotland is home to 4 species of wild deer:
native Red Deer（Cervus elaphus）and Roe Deer（Capreolus capreolus）, and nonnative Sika
Deer （Cervus nippon） and Fallow Deer （Dama dama）. The Scottish Deer Working Group
Report in 2020 estimated that there is between 750,000 and 1 million wild deer in Scotland, apopulation figure that is higher than any time in the recent past（Deer Working Group, 2020）.
These population densities of deer are unsustainable, and the damage they cause to sensitive
habitats, agriculture and forestry is significant. Managing deer populations is a challenging task
in any landscape, but particularly so in forests, as the tree cover provides shelter and hiding
places for the deer, making it very difficult for deer managers to gain access to the animals andmanage them in an effective and humane way. Current deer management practices in forestryin Scotland are stalking（the act of locating animals at a distance and then slowly approaching
to within a shootable distance）,and night-shooting, where deer are located with and shot under
the light from a powerful spotlight, usually from a vehicle. Both methods require large areas ofopen space to locate and access the deer, and most night shooting requires vehicular access,which is very limited in forests（Deer Best Practice, 2021）.
In 2019, the updated Scotland’s Forestry Strategy 2019-2029was published, which outlined
the Scottish Government plans to increase woodland cover in the country from 18% to 21% by2032（Scottish Forestry, 2019）. Within the strategy, there is also an emphasis on the increased
long-term sustainability of woodlands and their management, which will involve a movetowards Continuous Cover Forestry （CCF） and away from the clearfell system which iscurrently widely employed across the country. The nation’s goals for increasing both the sizeand sustainability of our forests, coupled with the everexpanding deer population, is set tomagnify the difficulty of managing deer in forests. The current methods will become lessoperable, as greater numbers of deer are found in larger forests. This will increase not only thelevel of difficulty in managing these populations, but also the potential level of environmental
and economic damage caused by the deer.
Many countries in mainland Europe already have much higher levels of tree cover than
Scotland, and many of these countries also use CCF as their main management technique for
their forests. These countries have developed methods of managing wild deer populations intheir woodlands despite the high level of tree cover and lack of large open spaces（clearfells）,
which allow for highly effective and humane management of wild deer, coupled with a culture90

of sustainable meat sourcing from hunting（FACE, 2021）. Currently, there has been very little
research into the potential application of continental management practices in Scotland.
Recognizing the challenges above I have been investigating and developing the research
proposal for my BSc Hons dissertation at the Scottish School of Forestry. I will first investigate
the methods used for managing deer in these mainland European countries, researching not
only the methods themselves but also the legislation surrounding them, and the practicalities ofcarrying out these methods （manpower, other resources etc.）. Once the data has beengathered, I will assess whether these methods could be a solution to the increasingly complex
issue of deer management in Scottish Forestry, as both forest cover and deer populations
increase. This will involve two aspects; first, the legislation for deer management in Scotland
will be assessed, and any changes needed to enable the potential use of European methods ofdeer management to take place will be proposed. Secondly, a survey of deer managers inforestry across the country will be undertaken, asking about their views on the issue of deer
management in forests, and how they would view the introduction of other management
methods from Europe. The responses to this survey will be analyzed and considered whenassessing the viability of the potential future application of European deer management
methods. The outcomes of this research will be shared widely and used to stimulate discussion
with land managers, including fellow students at the UHI’s student Integrated Land Use
Conference in March 2022, with the overall aim of improving the effectiveness of deer
management in Scottish Forests in the medium to long term. By analyzing the methods of deer
management in countries with high levels of tree cover, it may therefore be possible to develop
more efficient practices for deer management in the evolving forest landscapes of Scotland. I
would be interested in hearing from ISS participants about experiences of managing large
mammal management impacts on forestry and agriculture from other countries to help informmy research.
References
Deer Best Practice. （2021, 06 10）. Best Practice Guidance. Retrieved from Best PracticeGuidance: https://www.face.eu/hunting-methods-culture/
Deer Working Group.（2020）. The Management of Wild Deer in Scotland - Report of the Deer
Working Group. Edinburgh: Scottish Government. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/Poppy%20
Tomes/Downloads/management-wild-deerscotland-report-deer-working-group.pdf
FACE, H. o.（2021, 06 10）. Hunting Methods and Culture. Retrieved from European Federationfor Hunting and conservation: https://www.face.eu/huntingmethods-culture/
Scottish Forestry. （2019）. Scotland’s Forest Strategy. Edinburgh: Scottish Government.
Retrieved from https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2019/02/scotlands-forestry-strategy-20192029/documents/scotlands-forestrystrategy-2019-2029/scotlandsforestry-strategy-2019-2029/govscot%3Adocument/scotlandsforestry-str

91

Geographic Information System in environmental protection
Igor Cemercic
Advisor: associate professor Branislav Draskovic
Faculty of Agriculture, University of East Sarajevo

We need to understand that human existence is quite impossible without the presence ofa healthy ecosystem. Our environment comprises all living and non-living components and theirinteractions within a natural habitat.
The fundamental goal of environmental research is to understand and solve
environmental problems, focusing on how humans use natural resources and how humanactivities change the environment（Xuan Zhu, 2016）. Environmental protection is the practiceof protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Goals areto conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where is possible, torepair damage and reverse trends. One of the challenges that arise in agriculture andenvironmental protection is the lack of application of modern technologies that can help in
spatial management. The traditional method of agricultural production is still present indeveloping countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina（B&H）, and environmental protection
takes place without the use of some methods such as remote sensing.
Data analysis represented on maps have become a useful instrument in planning,
therefore the operation of overlaying maps become very common（Droy, 2012）. Use of modern
geospatial technologies such as high-resolution satellite data, Global Positioning System（GPS）
and Geographic Information System（GIS）should be mandatory in land resources inventory,
mapping, monitoring and management at watershed level. Geospatial technologies must be
effectively used in generation of digital terrain database, inventory and mapping of soils, land
use systems at parcel level, soil suitability evaluation, prioritization of watershed, assessment ofcarrying capacity and monitoring the impacts at watershed level（Obi Reddy & Singh, 2018）.
How to establish a GIS project? We need several information to conduct a land resources
inventory map: Base map （political boundaries and roads）, aerial photos, topography, plantcommunities and wildlife, soils, water features（lakes, wetlands, and watercourses）, floodplains,natural areas/open space, other community specific information. Most of this core information isavailable statewide for free or at low cost. Most of them are already on the internet.
GIS is a powerful tool for environmental data analysis and planning. GIS stores spatial
information（data）in a digital mapping environment. A digital basemap can be overlaid withdata or other layers of information onto a map in order to view spatial information andrelationships. GIS allows better viewing and understanding physical features and therelationships that influence in a given critical environmental condition. Factors, such as
steepness of slopes, aspects, and vegetation, can be viewed and overlaid to determine various
environmental parameters and impact analysis（Sharma et al, 2009）.
Under environment protection, it’s implied prediction of all the negative impacts of any
92human activity, intervention or change in environment with the goal of disabling the cause ofdegradation or destruction of the environment in which humans live, and excessive waste ofhuman resources and space（Mehta, 2017）. Satellite detection plays a big role here which caneasily register source of the air pollution. Next one is remote research where we can follow
consequences of ecological catastrophes on seas and oceans, also important causes ofdegradation of the environment we can count human activities like industrial and agricultural
production, urbanization and the construction of infrastructure and others.
GIS is a widely used tool with significant relevance for farmers and the agricultureindustry. An example of applying geospatial technology and GIS in agriculture would be when
implementing fertilizing crops, machine sensors gather information about the crops, and the
GPS records the exact position it is applied on the field. Then GIS is in use to analyze that
information and make decisions where to do the application of fertilizer, which will be only tothe areas where it is needed, and this can vary the rate of application to target nutrientdeficient sites. This saves money on fertilizer product, as well as the environment from overapplication and runoff into local streams and rivers.
With the satellite detection we can measure changes in nature using different
measurements and records such as water and air pollution, damages that occurred with naturaland social causes, global change of the atmosphere, devastation of the environment and others.
GIS became universal tool for whole analysis of the geological, geomorphological, ecologicalstudies of the environment. With remote methods we can look and exanimate fires and withsatellite records which detect fires and mapping burning area with GIS system there are
multiple benefits especially with the estimation of damage occurring during fire.
For example, the major reasons for fires in B&H are: no active fire management, highamount of fuel wood in forest; low capacities and bad equipment for fire-fighting, mostly
dependent on support from neighboring countries（e.g. from Croatia）; ignorance about forest
fire risks and prevention measures; carelessness of local population and tourists（FAO, 2015）.
At the end perhaps the most important concern for all of us today is protecting theenvironment we live and breathe in. Climate change issues are creating havoc with erratic
weather patterns affecting everything from crop production to untimely melting of ice glaciers.
There is a lot to worry about and immediate action is definitely required. It’s not that the world
has not geared up to take corrective actions, but we need to do more, and GIS can help us toachieve that. GIS is a powerful tool. It is enabling every sector to perform better and theenvironment is no exception（Obi Reddy & Singh, 2018）.
Monitoring and managing of natural resources is an important challenge for a developing
country such as B&H. The use of new technologies such as GIS and Remote Sensing can help
us to better protect the environment, manage space efficiently, get better crop yields, etc. In
this regard, we need more such subjects in the curricula of our universities. This is one of themost important challenges in higher education that we can overcome in cooperation with our
professors.

93References
1. Xuan Zhu,（2016）. GIS for Environmental Applications: A practical approach, First publishedby Routledge, 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX 14 4RN
2. Droj, G. （2012）. GIS and remote sensing in environmental management, Journal ofEnvironmental Protection and Ecology（JEPE）,Book 1, Vol 13（1）.
3. FAO（2015）. The Forest Sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Regional Office for Europe andCentral Asia Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved from:http://www.fao.org/3/a-au015e.pdf
4. Obi Reddy O., Singh S. K. （2018）. Geospatial Technologies in Land Resources Mapping,
Monitoring and Management. ISBN: 978-319-78711-4
5. Sharma V. N., Mohammed J., Uppuluri S. （2009）. GIS in Environmental Studies － An
overview, Geospatial World. https://www.geospatialworld.net/article/gis-in-environmentalstudies-an-overview/
6. Mehta M. P. （2017）. Geo Spatial Technologies for Agriculture, GeoSpatial World Forum,
Hyderabad, India.

94

Environmental education in National universityof Life and Environmental Sciencesof Ukraine and youth initiatives in Ukraine
Sofiia Salnyk
Advisor: Dr. Alla Kravchenko
National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine,
Faculty of Humanities and Pedagogy

No one can deny that we’ve seen the way our planet suffers from our detrimental impact
for quite some time now, but only recent years vividly demonstrated us that if we don’t take a
step back and rethink the way we treat the planet, it’ll find itself on the verge of collapse in notime. It is now way past the time of consideration, it’s high time to act and that is what thestudents of NULES has been doing. As a part of the most motivated and aware Ukrainian
youth community we’ve been making effort to introduce environmental issues into our active
discussions, raise awareness and also encourage more ambitious and driven young people totake part in helping finding ultimate solutions. One of the most recent events that the studentsof our university played a significant role in was XII International Training Course“Radioactivity and Nuclear Energy” 2021.
The Chernobyl disaster that took place in Ukraine in 1986 had a significant detrimental
effect on the environment in the whole world, but Ukraine, being the main site of the disaster,suffered the most damage. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant is located next to the Pripyat
River, which feeds into the Dnieper reservoir system, one of the largest surface water systems
in Europe, which at the time supplied water to Kiev’s 2.4 million residents, and was still inspring flood when the accident occurred. The radioactive contamination of aquatic systems
therefore became a major problem in the immediate aftermath of the accident. After thedisaster, four square kilometres（1.5 sq mi）of pine forest directly downwind of the reactor
turned reddish-brown and died. Some animals in the worst-hit areas also died or stopped
reproducing. In the accident’s aftermath, 237 people suffered from acute radiation sickness, ofwhom 31 died within the first three months. The risk projections suggest that by now
Chernobyl may have caused about 1000 cases of thyroid cancer and 4000 cases of other cancers
in Europe, representing about 0.01% of all incident cancers since the accident. It’s generally
predicted that by 2065 about 16,000 cases of thyroid cancer and 25,000 cases of other cancers
may be expected due to radiation from the accident, whereas several hundred million cancer
cases are expected from other causes. The disaster and its horrible consequences raised
concern about radioactivity, nuclear power and its usage in our country and since weexperience its impact and will experience it in the future, the topic of the lecture is relevant
and will stay relevant for a long time.
The National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine together with the
University of Wageningen （Netherlands） has been organizing a joint training course on“Radioactivity and Nuclear Energy” in English for 12 years in a row. Of course, the general95

quarantine associated with the pandemic did not bypass this project. Since last year, allactivities, including lectures, practical classes, workshops on intercultural communication, group
work and consultations with supervisors － were held online. The event of such an importance,
especially being held in new and challenging circumstances, required a lot of preparation. All
organizational issues were resolved: a combined curriculum was developed in accordance withthe requirements of this year’s course, provided an appropriate level of theoretical, scientificand practical information. Students actively participated in discussions tackling the following
questions: measurement of radioactivity, the impact of ionizing radiation on humans, the impactof ionizing radiation on ecosystems, nuclear energy policy, social opinion on nuclear energy,
uranium recycling and enrichment, nuclear waste and its recycling, development of nuclear
energy technology, legislation nuclear energy. The lecture that was especially beloved by thestudents was the lecture that explained the science behind x-rays by Youki Dikstra.
The work continued with a lecture by Wim Tukenburg, a professor at the University of
Utrecht, on the consequences of the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant.
Foodstuffs were contaminated by radioactive material that was deposited on the leaves ordirectly on agricultural produce such as fruit and vegetables, or that was absorbed via the rootsof fruit and vegetable crops.As a result of the Fukushima accident, not only was radioactive
material released into the atmosphere, but it also entered the water － primarily the water thatwas fed into the reactors for emergency cooling, but also the groundwater penetrating into thereactor.
Dick Cairns, decommissioning manager of the only nuclear reactor in the Netherlands,
shared his experience in a lecture on “From a nuclear power plant to a green lawn.” Veryinteresting experience, given the future decommissioning of most nuclear reactors in Ukraine
due to the end of service life.
Nuclear power is a highly controversial topic in the society and there are lots of different
opinion on the subject. In the course of the lecture called “Nuclear Energy Policy and Public
Opinion” we had an opportunity to start an open discussion and freely speak up on what we
think is the right way to pursue the matter. We also had an opportunity to gain a newperspective on the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl NPP as a unique landfill for research on the
behavior of radioactive isotopes in the environment.
Moreover, we had the chance to talk to one of the first responders of the Chernobyl
accident. He also was one of the people that was able to observe the severe consequences of
the accident and its detrimental impact on the environment in the region first hand. Seeing thetragedy through his eyes made quite an impact on all the participants and one more time
highlighted the danger of nuclear power and the need of having it under the most careful andstrict control.
Igor Gudkov, Professor of the Department of General Ecology, Radiobiology and Life
Safety, completed the lecture part of the course. He focused on the radiation situation in
Europe, Ukraine, Kyiv and at the university. He also assessed the impact of radiation accidents
and the prospects for the return of areas contaminated with radionuclides for commercial use.
We as course participants visited the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. It was a very interesting
online trip organized by Chernobyl employees In 3 hours we visited the most important tourist
places of the zone, the city of Pripyat, Chernobyl and the industrial site of the station.
96

Very recently our students also had the opportunity to visit Chernobyl in person. It wasorganized as the part of curriculum for students of the special English-language master’s
program “Forest management in Eastern Europe”. The main purpose of the trip was to studyof the impact of radioactive contamination on the growth and development of trees. It was a
priceless experience and which made a lot of sense and brought a clearer picture of the list of
obstacles which students may face later on in their fields of studies.
In conclusion, I’d like to add that the course and all the following relating events helped
students to face the problem of nuclear power and environment. We had the opportunity tolearn the science behind it and got the idea of measures and tools which have maintain control
over its impact on the current state of nature. The main purpose of the event was to raiseawareness and generate interest in the issue not only among prominent and successful scholars,
but also among the new young generation which will be able bring the new perspective tosolving these problems in the future.
It’s also worth mentioning that the interest in saving our environment is rising outside thewalls of our university. Representatives of the most active youth are “pitching in” all overUkraine. European example certainly encouraged and set off a lot of active movements aimed
at the popularization of sustainable politics and lifestyles and one of the evidences of this is thenumber of new ecoapps in the Ukrainian digital area. The app “Sort” educates people on how tosort litter properly and helps them out with it in general. The app “Let’s do it, Ukraine” iscreated in order to bring together people that want to participate in public cleanouts or want toinitiate one themselves. “SaveEcoBot” is Ukraine’s first environmental bot to monitor
information on permits and procedures for industrial and other pollutants. Those are just a few
examples of how Ukrainian tech-people. An environmental project planned by the World-WideFund for Nature in Ukraine as a platform to unite the efforts of the community and nongovernmental organizations to improve the environment. As a result, an ecological map of
Ukraine was created, thanks to which anyone can mark an ecological problem on the map, as
well as learn how to solve it. Everything is focused on practical actions: seeing the problem, you
can try to solve it with like-minded people.
Ukrainian people as well as the government are becoming more and more “woke” to the
problem of environment and climate change. We are embracing the opportunity and coming up
with the ways to tackle the issue. We remember that Earth is our most precious resource andit’s about time to start treating it accordingly.
References
Illienko, V.（2021, May 23）. Retrieved from https://nubip.edu.ua/node/92983（“The National
University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine together with the University ofWageningen（Netherlands）has been organizing a joint training course on “Radioactivity andNuclear Energy”…”）
Mulvey, S. （2006, April 20）. “Wildlife defies Chernobyl radiation”. BBC News. （“After thedisaster, four square kilometres（1.5 sq mi）of pine forest directly downwind of the reactor
turned reddish-brown and died”）
Hallenbeck, William H. （1994）. Radiation Protection. CRC Press. p.15. （“In the accident’s
aftermath, 237 people suffered from acute radiation sickness, of whom 31 died within the first
three months”）
97Eco-tourism For Sustainable Environmental Conservation
Julius Mwangi Kamita
Advisor: Prof. John Bosco Njoroge Mukundi
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
School of Agriculture and Environmental Science
Department of Landscape and Environmental Science

Deforestation, soil erosion, desertification, water shortage and degraded water quality,
poaching and flooding are the main environmental issues in Kenya（Country Profile, 2007）.
Some local communities especially pastoralist and crop farmers have encroached the gamereserve, gazzeted forest and river banks（Oliver et.al 2019）. These actions have led to loss ofhabitat which causes human-wild conflict, changes in natural ecology for plants, animals, fish
and other living organisms in the area. According to World Bank report, only about 7 % ofplastic waste in Kenya is ever recycled, about 24% is taken to landfills and an alarming 69%
ends in water bodies（Clean-up Kenya,2015）.Upstream hydrological changes such as damming
and water diversion for irrigation and urban domestic water use create threats to delta andwater-shed basin ecosystem. Environmental disturbances have resulted to painful measurestaken by the government of Kenya, like evictions from the forest and unexpected structure
demolition. The locals have the right to live in their environment, but not at the cost ofdestroying natural resources. Therefore, there is a great need of protecting natural resourcesthat accommodate the present without compromising the ability of future generation to accessthe benefit of nature.
Eco-tourism has a role of involving the local community in preserving nature andeconomic growth. The concept of ecotourism has been defined as responsible travel to naturalareas that conserve the environment and improve the welfare of local people（Ahmed, 2012）.
Ecotourism is nature-based tourism that involves education and interpretation of the naturalenvironment and is managed to be ecologically sustainable（Joshi, 2011）. Kenya is a popular
destination in Africa for ecotourism and is fueled by public and private initiatives that revolvearound the country’s rich wildlife（USA Travel tips, 2018）. Ecotourism in Kenya is under the
Kenya Tourist Board, which works on four principles: environmental conservation; educationand empowerment; social responsibility; culture and heritage preservation （Kenya Tourist
Board, 2016）.Forms of ecotourism include eco-lodging, eco-trekking, agritourism and community
development. Some of the award winning ecotourism organization include Ol Pejeta community,
Friends of Karura forest, Friends to Nairobi Arboretum, Murera Springs, Nature Kenya, Lewa
Community and Clean-up Kenya（Ecotourism society of Kenya-2018）. Ecotourism also involves
agritourism that attracts tourist and volunteers to the rural culture to explore agricultural life
contributing to development of small farms. Visitors participate in agricultural work alongside
farmers in the fields and helps manage livestock on a ranch （USA Travel tips, 2018）.
98

Environmental goals have been achieved through: promoting environmental protection;
providing environmental education that increases public environmental awareness; using
natural resources efficiently; and maintaining species biodiversity.
The goals of ecotourism in Kenya has been achieved socio-economically through: creating
permanent jobs for local people; driving the development of other related industries; upgrading
local infrastructure; and earning profits and retaining them within local communities.（USATravel tips, 2018）. Ecotourism ha a crucial role in unlocking the full potential of students,
farmers and government workers lies in their ability to access the buildings and equipment
they need not just to operate, but to be inspired to help themselves and their community. Thisis because ecotourism aims to support surrounding communities by tackling key infrastructure
issues affecting education, healthcare, water, and energy（Ahmed, 2012）.
In the spirit of realizing the role of youths in promoting sustainability in Ecotourism, mostecotourism organization are training youths on environmental conservations. Road trips areorganized by NGOs, for example, Red Cross and Rotaract Kenya which involves the young
generations（Ecotourism society of Kenya-2018）.Youth have been given priorities when joining
these organizations with minimum requirements. Youth residing near tourism sites or
ecological attraction destinations benefits from local cottage industries in the communities thatarise as a result of ecotourism. Youth generate income while achieving conservation goals
through honey collection, working as environmental tour guides, offering security, conducting
habitat surveys and collecting data and Developing nature/ecological designs （Ecotourism
society of Kenya-2018）.
Insecurity as a result of cattle rustling and terrorism in some parts of Kenya is the main
challenge that affects directly the number of eco-tourists accessing the Kenyan ecosystems.
Poor infrastructure such as inaccessible feeder road network imposes huge losses ontransportation thus reducing the comforts for tourist（Ahmed, 2012）. Insufficient of capital due
to government agencies and tourism plans concentrate upon the large developments and major
investors and neglect the needs and opportunities of indigenous communities. The general aimof this study is to have sustainable surroundings that conserve natural resources and satisfy
local communities while protecting future opportunities.
References
Ahmed, M.（2012）. Challenges Facing Ecotourism in Kenya. University of Nairobi, Departmentof Land Resources Management and Agricultural Technology.
Alonso, N.（2018, March 15）.Ecotourism in Kenya. USA TODAY TRAVEL TIPS.
Bansal, S. &.（2011）. Ecotourism for Community Development:A Stakeholder’s Perspective inGreat Himalayan National Park. International Journal of Social Ecology, 2（2）,31-40.
Cottars, C.（2015）.Cottars Strive for Excellence in Sustainable Tourism. Retrieved June 9, 2021,
from http://ecotourismkenya.org/resource-centre/downloads/#toggle-id-7
Country Profile. （2007, June）. Kenya（Federal Research Division Library of Congress）.
Retrieved June 9, 2021
Ecotourism Society of Kenya. （2001, December）. Being Green keeps you out of the Red.
Bringing together Tourism,Conservation&Communities（4）.
99Joshi, R. （2011）. Eco-tourism Planning and Management On Eco-tourism Destinations of
Bajhang District, Nepal. M. Sc. Forestry（2010-2012. Retrieved from p.11. Online［Available］:
http://www.forestrynepal.org/images/publications/Ecotourism%20destination%20bajhang.pdf
Oliver, J., Anna, S., & Paul, J. （2019）. Historical Ecologies of Pastoralist Overgrazing in
Kenya:Long-Term Perspectives on Cause and Effect. Human Ecology, 47, 419-434.
（n.d.）. Sustainable Tourism Report 2016. Kenya Tourist Board. Retrieved June 9, 2021, fromhttp://ktb.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/KTB-Sustainable-Tourism-Report-2016.pdf

100Group H
Group theme

Nutrition
Presenters:

Galstyan Mariam Vardanovna, Far Eastern Federal University
Oulaiphone Ouankhamchanh, National University of Laos
Jenipha B. Mayenga, Sokoine University of Agriculture
Maryiano Keziah Anyango Awino, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
Chairpersons:Isaac Otieno Ogallo, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Fariza Junialfatiha, Tokyo University of Agriculture101

Bakery product development using stevioside
Galstyan Mariam Vardanovna
Advisor: Bobchenko Victoria Ivanovna
Far Eastern Federal University, School of economics and management,
Basic department of bioeconomics and food security

Abstract: the development and introduction of food products for dietary therapeutic andprophylactic purposes, especially bakery products, are a priority in the development of the foodindustry, since products designed for mass production do not correspond to the diet therapy ofpeople with diabetes mellitus. Considering the importance of the problem, the aim of the work
was to develop a bakery product recipe based on a mixture of spelt and amaranth flour withthe addition of stevioside. An analysis of works devoted to the study of problem areas in thetechnology of diabetic bakery products was carried out. Substantiation for the choice of the
proposed ingredients is presented. The recipe for diabetic bakery products was developed.
In recent years, according to the World Health Organization, there has been an increasein the number of patients with diabetes mellitus（DM）. The number of patients is growing
every year, and at the moment 6% of the adult population of the Earth has a clinical diagnosis
of diabetes mellitus （Korolev, 2017）. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease and affects all
metabolic processes in the human body. According to the forecasts of the International
Diabetes Federation, by 2030 there will be more than 500 million people with this diagnosis. An
unbalanced diet, an increase in the consumption of large amounts of fast food, easily digestible
glucose, fatty acids leads to an increase in the number of people with diabetes. The course oftreatment includes nutritional correction, the use of foods containing a balanced complex ofcarbohydrates（Reznichenko & Shcheglov, 2020）.
The trade assortment of products for diabetics includes biscuits, crackers, bars, wafers,
jams and bitter chocolate. Currently, there is a need for new approaches to developing a rangeof products in accordance with dietary therapy for a diabetic patient. Bakery products are oneof the traditional and common food products in Russia. They occupy an important place in thehuman diet, and are also an integral part of the national cuisine of many peoples of the world.
These foods are included in the daily diet of most consumers. The nutritional value of products
made from wheat flour is low. They have a high glycemic index, low protein content, and an
unbalanced amino acid composition. They are not normally part of the diabetic diet. But not all
patients can strictly adhere to and comply with diet therapy. This is because it is difficult forpatients to change their taste preferences and habits. Giving up bakery products entails
psychological discomfort. This is not easy to do immediately, especially for those who have been
eating bread since childhood, and it has become their habit. They have to resort to a way of
replacing bread to make it psychologically easier to give it up. And finding a substitutehealthier bread - is a very difficult task.
The aim of the work is to develop a recipe for a bakery product based on a mixture of102spelt and amaranth flour with the addition of a natural sweetener - stevioside.
For the manufacture of stevioside, a perennial stevia plant is used. Stevia lowers blood
glucose levels. It is an irreplaceable remedy for patients with diabetes mellitus, while it does nothave a sugar-reducing effect in healthy people, it helps to remove toxins, heavy metal salts fromthe body（Baryshnikova & Paimulina, 2014）. Numerous studies have been conducted using
stevia for therapeutic purposes. Scientists have found that stevioside is safe for diabetics, andalso does not have a hypoglycemic effect in people without diabetes, which makes the plant safe
to use, which makes it safe for consumption （Kakhkhorova & Karomatov, 2017）. The
production and consumption of food with stevioside is evaluated by nutritionists andpharmacologists as a step towards improving the health of the population through theprevention of diabetes, obesity and other metabolic diseases.
As a result of the analysis of published studies, it was revealed that one of the best ways
to increase the nutritional value of bakery products is to replace wheat flour with another typeof raw material in classic recipes（Androsova et al., 2016; Nikitin et al., 2018）. As an alternative
to wheat flour, spelt and amaranth flour was introduced into the recipe; stevioside wasproposed as a sugar substitute. Spelt flour is a product obtained by grinding spelled grains.
Recently, spelt flour has been of interest for the baking industry from the position of expanding
the range of products and creating functional and enriched products（Khrapko et al., 2019;
Korolev et al., 2019）.
People with diabetes mellitus, gluten intolerance are recommended to use baked goods
using spelt flour. Regular consumption of spelt products helps to strengthen immunity,
normalize blood sugar levels, improve the functioning of the cardiovascular, endocrine, digestiveand reproductive systems.
Amaranth flour is a valuable dietary product that has a higher nutritional value due to thechemical composition and biological value of the proteins they contain（Kotlyarova & Skoba,
2016）. In baking, it improves the nutritional value of bakery products and facilitates thetechnological process. It has a pleasant aroma and a light nutty taste.
Table 1
Chemical composition of flour
Indicator name

Wheat flour, 1st grade

Spelt flour

Amaranth flourProteins, %

10,6

13,9

16,0

Fats, %

1,3

2,4

6,5

Carbohydrates, %

73,8

70,2

66,0

Fiber, %

0,2

5,6

0,85

Vitamins, %

0,7

2,1

0,8

A series of experiments aimed at developing a recipe for bakery products for diet therapy
in the treatment of patients with diabetes mellitus was performed in this work. For the
production of the studied samples of bakery products, the recipe used spelt and amaranth flour,
stevioside, vegetable oil, baking yeast, table salt.
103

In the finished samples, the shape, surface, color, taste, smell, bakedness were evaluated.
All samples had a regular rounded shape, rough surface and nutty smell, dark brown color,well-baked crumb, not wet to the touch, without voids and seals. The addition of amaranth flour
significantly improved the organoleptic characteristics in the test samples. The taste of thestudied samples is sweet, there were no extraneous tastes.
With an increase in the dosage of stevioside in the formulation, the organoleptic indicatorsof the finished product worsened, due to strong sweetness and little bitterness.
Based on the results of test baking, the optimal ratio of the flour mixture of flour andstevioside in the recipe was determined. The proposed recipe for bakery products will expand
the range and provide people with the necessary nutrition for diet therapy in the treatment ofpatients with diabetes mellitus. The work was carried out by students studying in the directionof “Merchandising” of the basic department of “Bioeconomics and Food Security” of the Far
Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok（Russia）.
References
Androsova, N. V., Naumenko, N. V., & Paimulina, A. V. （2016）. Prospects for the use of
fortifying additives in the technology of bakery products. Bulletin of the South Ural State
University. Series: Food and Biotechnology, 4（ 4）, 95-104. https://www.elibrary.ru/item.
asp?id=27441715
Baryshnikova, N. I., & Paimulina, A.V.（2014）. Development of technology for the manufactureof baked goods using stevioside / // Generation of the future: View of young scientists - 2014:
collection of scientific articles of the 3rd International Youth Scientific Conference: 2 volumes,
Kursk, November 13-15, 2014, 105-108. https://www.elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=22550793
Kakhkhorova, S. I. K., & Karomatov, I. D.（2017）. Food and medicinal plant stevia（literature
review）. Biology and integrative medicine, 11, 107-125. https://www.elibrary.ru/item.
asp?id=32296957
Khrapko, O. P., Mamedov, K. S., & Sanzharovskaia, N. S.,（2019）.Using spelt whole grain flour inwheat bread recipes. Polzunovsky Bulletin, （3）, 25-28. https://www.elibrary.ru/item.
asp?id=41292255
Korolev, D. N.（2017）. Study and development of technology for the production of bread fromspelled grain. Education and science without borders: social sciences and humanities. 6, 219222. https://www.elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=29034899
Korolev, D. N., Kolomytseva, V. V., & Penkova, Yu. V.（2019）. Economic assessment of thepossibility of using traditional cereal crops in agribusiness. Eurasian Scientific Association. 7-2（53）, 151-153. https://www.elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=39193760
Kotlyarova, Z. P., & Skoba, T. S.（2016）. Use of amaranth seed flour in functional nutrition.
Innovative technologies of food production, 6 5 - 6 6 . https://www.elibrary.ru/item.
asp?id=27630601
Nikitin, I. A., Tyurina, O. E., Semenkina, N. G., & Filatova, E. V.（2018）. The use of amaranthflour in the production of puff bakery products. Bread products, 3, 42-45. https://www.
elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=37369632
Reznichenko, I. Yu., & Shcheglov, M. S.（2020）. Sweeteners and sweeteners in confectionery
technology. Technique and technology of food production, 50（ 4）, 576-587.https://www.
elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=44447528
104

Contributing Sustainable Development goal
for Food System in Lao PDR.
Oulaiphone OuankhamchanhAdvisor: Dr Phouvin Phousavanh
National University of Laos, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Computer Science

Laos economic system primarily relies on the agriculture sector. In addition to producing
food and materials, agriculture also provides employment opportunities. Unfortunately, a
massive increase in population and a severe pandemic could affect the food system in Laos.
Over 70 percent of the Lao population relies on the agriculture sector. However,agriculture production comprises only 16 percent of the country’s GDP due to low productivity
and lack of modernization（FAO, 2020）. Moreover, over the past two years, there has been anegative impact on livelihoods, food security, nutrition, indebtedness, and income due to flash
floods, animal diseases, droughts, and rodent/pest outbreaks（WFP & FAO, 2020）. Recently,
Laos has been affected by COVID-19, which can be a massive challenge to achieving SDG1 andSDG 2. Domestic transportation and regional supply chains collapse, the service sector andtourism industry hit hard, also the unemployment rate increasing from 2 percent to 25 percent（FAO, 2020）. People are severely affected, especially the poor, farmers, children, young adults,
and pregnant women. For example, people decreased their spending due to the increasing
prices of products, farmers’ yields could not sell due to the closing of international borders, andsome restrictions in domestic areas. A decrease in the availability and accessibility of food could
escalate malnutrition problems in Laos, resulting in a 2.4% annual loss of Laos’s GDP in 2020
（NIPN, 2020）.
During the pandemic, communities that are more self-sufficient in their food will be less
impacted by closed markets. Local food production becomes more notable, such as agriculture
production at the household level, small lives stock raising, and fish culture to provide enoughfood. Nevertheless, many households practice subsistence agriculture, which still increases onbought food. Moreover, informal markets supply more processed food with insufficientnutrients, such as instant noodles and sweetened beverages, which are harmful to people’s
health.
Several issues tackle the food system in Laos, such as insufficient sources to learn about
efficient crop growing, marketing, and supply network are small and underdeveloped, especiallyin the rural areas; lack of knowledge about sustainable development in agriculture. For
example, farmers are generally unaware of using chemical fertilizers, synthetic herbicides,
pesticides, high-yield crops, and the method of multiple cropping can cause adverse effects inlong-term development, such as damage to the environment and human health. Also,
environmental degradation and climate change could affect the food chain in the oncoming year.
Moreover, the lack of adapting technology in agriculture and food system can cause a massive
weight down to the economic growth.
105

The pathway to help Laos achieve a sustainable food system and ensure safe andnutritious food includes an understanding of nutritional issues, development of evidence-based
national dietary guidelines, development and improvement of nutrition standards for school
feeding, focusing more on public policies in agriculture, greater investment in infrastructure,
and agriculture values chain, implementing a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly
cultivation and food production system, such as Organic agriculture, Agroecology, Pesticide freeand Agroforestry（United Nations Lao PDR, 2021）.
Moreover, promoting campaigns for sustainable development goals in agriculture andenvironmental issues is a must. Including promoting Laos organic market; competitions enhance
technology innovation in agriculture sectors such as Young Scientists and Innovator Forums,
Promoting Young Entrepreneurship Innovation on Agriculture and Handicraft Sectors. Last but
not least, the government, NGOs, international organizations, local people, small-scale farmers
have to work together and make sure that no one is left behind.
References
FAO.（2020）. Responsible investment in agriculture and food systems in lao people’s democratic
republic: why it matters. Fao.
NIPN.（2020）.National Nutrition Profile.
United Nations Lao PDR.（2021）. Synthesis Report Pathways to Sustainable Food Systems. June
2021.
WFP & FAO.（2020）. Rapid Assessment of Food Security and Agriculture in Lao PDR. World
Food Programme （WFP）, May, 1-67. https://www.wfp.org/publications/covid-19-rapidassessment-food-security-and-agriculture-lao-pdr

106

Food and Dietary Related Non-Communicable
Diseases in Tanzania
Jenipha B. Mayenga
Advisor: Dr. Theresia Jumbe
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences

In 2018, WHO reported that 33% of all deaths in Tanzania were due to Non-communicable
Diseases（NCDs）, two years later, TFNC（2021）reported that about 67% of all deaths that
occurs in Tanzania each year are due to food and dietary related Non-communicable diseases（NCDs）like diabetes and hypertension. Diet transition in developed countries to unhealthyeating has accelerated and led to increased rate of NCDs and currently developing countries
like Tanzania are facing the same phenomenon（Popkin et al., 2012）.This makes diet the mostimportant part in NCDs management and intervention（Isworo et al., 2017）. In recent years
there have been efforts to raise awareness to communities about the increase in risk factors
and incidences of NCDs with their management（Goudah, 2019）. However. The low dietaryadherence of the patients with NCDs is due to some inhibiting factors（Lestari, 2012）. The
factors influencing the patients with NCDs not to adhere the diet include income constraints,
and miss-information to some of patients. Moreover, there is limited information on knowledge
and on analysis of factors which influence adherence to food and dietary recommendation
among people about common NCDs like diabetes in Tanzania.
The study was conducted to assess level of awareness and adherence to food and dietary
recommendation among patients with dietary related NCDs aged 40 years and above in
Kinondoni Municipality. The study was cross-sectional that employed a quantitative approach
using a questionnaire through face to face interview at Mwananyamala Hospital. The study
sought to investigate the level of knowledge and adherence to food dietary recommended
practices of people with NCDs and identify factors that act as barriers to adherence. A sample
of 218 respondents participated in the study. Similarly, 24-hour dietary recall assessment andanthropometric measurement of height and weight to determine nutritional status wereconducted. Data analyzed by using SPSS, Excel and NutriSurvey software.
Mean age of respondents was 55.63 years which also showed older people above 45yrs areat high risk of developing NCDs. More than half （59.2%） of the respondents were female.
About 48% had college education and only 20.6% are married. 7.3% have no any source ofincome and 41.3% of households have an average household size between 5-10 people.
More than a third（33.5%）of respondents had ideal body weight. A total of 58.7% wereboth overweight and obese. Majority of the respondents（58.2%）recorded high blood glucose（hyperglycemia） where 34.9% had normal blood glucose during the day of conducting thestudy. Also, 62.8% of respondents were hypertensive.
80.2% of the respondents have received formal education on food and dietary107

recommended practices for food and dietary related NCDs. The study also found poor
adherence（34.7%）to dietary recommended practices with only 3.2% of respondents reporting
to adhere to the dietary recommendations always. Where 35.6% of respondents never adhere todietary recommendations at all and 61.2% adhere to recommendations sometimes
The mean intake of total energy for all respondents was 1465.96 kcal which is lower than
the normal intake. Fiber intake from plant-based foods which is an important food group inblood glucose, body weight regulation and NCDs management generally, was relatively poor
among most respondents, where by only 33.3% consumed the recommended amounts which is25-50g of fiber per day （Australian Food grocery council, 2011）. However, there was no
significant difference between males and females on adherence to food and dietary
recommendation.
It was established that, level of awareness and knowledge on food and dietary
recommendation does not influence adherence among patients. Hence the study identified
berries which prevent patients from adherence to dietary recommendations. The barriers
reported are unavailability of healthy and quality foods in their areas, economic constraints, andlack of family support, food insecurity, miss-information, health systems, food choices andpreferences.
Generally, the study showed that majority of people were obese and overweight. Also,
majority are aware of recommendations and right foods to use, but most of them still don’t
adhere to recommendations and consume relatively low amounts of fibers. Similarly,
unavailability and inaccessibility of some healthier recommended meal option remain major
barriers to adherence to dietary recommendations.
NCDs have become a burden to a national economy and is now obtaining politicalconcentration, not only in Tanzania but globally. This study has sought to add value on theexisting intervention programs, it will help the government and NGOs to set policies, regulationand organize educational and health programs to provide comprehensive education and address
factors identified as barriers to adherence to the dietary recommendation rather than focusing
only at making people aware since high level of awareness has been reported.
It is predicted that burden of NCDs especially in developing countries to be doubled in the
coming 1 0 years. Hence youth people should effectively and actively participate oninterventional programs to reduce this high prevalence of NCDs. Efforts on education should be
more towards youth than patients, adults and elders only. As there are low motivation of young
people to participate in programs in Tanzania, incentives like certification, money, healthysnacks, giveaways like t-shirts and provision of entertainment by including local artists during
implementation of some programs will enhance their participation.
However, there is low promotion on adherence to diet to manage NCDs and nutritional
status in country which may be because most of national resources are exhausted on
preventing under-nutrition and stunting rates but also nutrition has not stand as its own, theministry which deals with nutrition issues have prioritized other problems. The absence ofcertified dietician and nutritionists also make most patients miss-informed on dietary practices

108

REFERENCES
Australian food glocery council（2011）Daily intake levels. Retrieved on June 10, 2021 fromhttps://www.mydailyintake.net/daily-intake-levels/
Ganiyu A.B., Mabuza L.H., Malete N.H., Govender I., Ogunbanjo G.A.（2013）. Non-adherence todiet and exercise recommendations amongst patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus attending
Extension II Clinic in Botswana. Afr J Prm Health Care Fam Med. 5（1）1-6.
Gouda HN, Charlson F, Sorsdahl K, Ahmadzada S, Ferrari AJ, Erskine H, et al.（2019）Burdenof non-communicable diseases in Sub-saharan Africa, 1990-2017: results from the global burdenof diseases study 2017. Lancet Glob Health: 7（10）:e1375-87
Isworo A, Khairun N L, and Arif S U（2017）Factors Inhibiting the Dietary Compliance of thePatients with Diabetes Mellitus: Advances in Health Sciences Research（AHSR）, volume 2:
82-85
Popkin B M, Ng S W, Mhurchu C N et al.（2010）Beverage patterns and trends in the United
Kingdom. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina, 2010
Lestari, T. S.,（2012）. Hubungan psikososial dan penyuluhan gizi dengan kepatuhan diet pasien
diabetes melitus tipe 2 rawat jalan di RSUP Fatmawati tahun 2012.（Skripsi）, Universitas
Indonesia, Depok
Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre（2021）.Non-Communicable Diseases ReportWHO.（2018）Non-Communicable disease. Available from https://www. who. int/newsroom/
factsheets/detail/noncommunicablediseases visited 28th February 2021 at 1pm

109Solar Dehydration Characteristics of Papaya（Carica papaya）
Maryiano Keziah Anyango Awino
Advisor: Prof. Nelson Kennedy Olang’o Ojijo
Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Food and Nutrition Sciences,
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

The agriculture sector continues to play a vital role in the rural economy. The sector was
one of the first to fully devolve the function of service provision to the county governments
underscoring the importance of County Governments’ role in ensuring food security.
Agriculture is key to Kenya’s economy, contributing 26 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product（GDP）and another 27 per cent of GDP indirectly through linkages with other sectors. The
sector employs more than 40 per cent of the total population and more than 70 per cent of
Kenya’s rural people
Farmers also purchase goods and services from their local communities, multiplying theirimpact and contributing to off-farm employment. The further processing and handling ofproduce results in additional economic impact which can be directly attributed to agricultural
production. Agriculture is also crucial to economic growth: in 2018, it accounted for 4 percent of
global gross domestic product（GDP）and in some developing countries, it can account for morethan 25% of GDP. Fruits have a value addition importance of accelerating economic growth,
reducing income inequality and increasing valuable resources, and value-addition to theseresources is key to creating employment and wealth, and to do away with skewed wealthdistribution.
The climate, topography and soil variations within biomes are challenging for fruit
growing leading to low productivity. Climate change is likely to contribute substantially to foodinsecurity in Kenya, by increasing food prices, and reducing food production. Food may become
more expensive as climate change mitigation efforts increase energy prices. Competition forland increases as certain areas become climatically unsuitable for production. In addition,
extreme weather events, associated with climate change may cause sudden reductions inagricultural productivity, leading to rapid price increases. Also any reduction in soil organic
matter stocks implies a decrease in fertility and biodiversity, a loss of soil structure, reduced
soil water infiltration and retention capacity, and increased risk of erosion and compaction
which leads to low productivity of fruits.
Driven partly by the growth of agricultural value chains, Kenyan economy has
progressively diversified from traditional cash crops into fruits and vegetables. However, lack ofaccess to finance and poor infrastructure have slowed the progress. Government support,
crucial to coordinate the integration of smallholder farmers into larger cooperatives and groups,
may be needed in other areas that aid integration with wider markets.
One of the major problem facing the fruits industry is perishability and underutilization of110the local fruits especially in rural areas, and this accounts for more than half of the country’s
income generation. While improving productivity is key, reducing the existing high rates ofglobal food loss and waste, including post-harvest loss such as perishability of fruits, along thevarious production and supply chains, will play a key role in tackling the problem of foodinsecurity in Kenya（FAO, 2011）.  Farmers put so much labor into growing crops but still mostof them rot even before reaching the market and consumers due to perishability. It is almost
impossible to preserve the fruits in their fresh state due to immediate metabolic activities that
occur even after harvesting and this leads to gradual loss of flavor and nutritional values.
This study will evaluate the efficacy, adoption and scaling up of a solar dehydration
technology on papaya （Carica papaya） in Kenya with the aim of reduction of post-harvest
losses. The solar drying technology will be designed to retain nutrients and improve quality andsafety, which are critical in gaining access to dried fruit markets locally and abroad（Temu etal., 2008）. It is therefore, important to carry out this study to evaluate the performance of solar
dryers in different weather conditions and document how nutritional and sensory qualities ofthe dried products related to the solar dryer parameters. Solar drying systems are faster, more
efficient, more hygienic, and result in lower fruit losses as compared to the traditional open-air
sun drying method（Muehlbauer, 1986; Chua and Chou, 2003; Karim and Hawlader, 2004; Tomaret al., 2017）.Drying is a more environment-friendly way of processing fruits as it minimizes theextent of organic waste disposal as compared to wet-processing of fruits, for example, into
juices. The latter is often accompanied by huge amounts of bio-waste that poses disposal
problems. However, there are technological avenues for turning fruit wastes into viableindustrial products e.g. bio-extracts and organic manure.
Fruit agro-industry is a potentially viable avenue for employment of the youth as fruit
farmers, traders, and processors. Especially, as it does not require elaborate initial capitaloutlay, university graduates who cannot secure formal jobs can readily venture into fruit
processing businesses even at artisanal or non-mechanized level. What is needed is the rightkind of mindset to try own business rather than seek for dwindling and increasingly elusive
white-collar jobs. Therefore, part of the activities in this project will be to explore ways ofchanging the mindset of the youth through peer-to-peer mentorship so that they can consider avocation in fruit agro-industry.
REFERENCES
Adaikan, P. G. and Adebowale, A. （2004）. Mechanisms of the oxytocic activity of papaya
proteinases. Pharmaceutical Biology 42（8）:646 - 655.
Adepoju, O., Sunday, T., Edwin, B. and Folaranmi, O. A. （2012）. Nutrient composition andcontribution of plantain （musa paradisiacea） products to dietary diversity of Nigerian
consumers. African Journal of Biotechnology 11（71）:13601 - 13605.
Afolabi, I. S., Marcus, G. D., Teminijesu, O. O. and Chizea, V.（2011）. Biochemical effect of somefood processing methods on the health promoting properties of under-utilized Carica papaya
Journal of Natural Products, 4（2011）;17-24 Aguilera J. M. and Stanley, D. W.（1999）.
Microstructural Principles of Food Processing and Engineering, 2nd ed. Aspen Publishers,
Gaithersburg, USA. pp. 325-372.
111

Ajadi, D. A., Fajinmi., G. R. and Sanus, Y. K.（2007）.Effect of dust on the performance of locallydesigned solar dryer. Research Journal of Applied Sciences 2（3）: 251 - 254. Ajay C., K. S.
Orsunil and Deepak, D. P.（2009）.
Ajila, C. M., Rao, J. L. and Rao, U. J. S.（2010）.Charcterization of bioactive compounds from raw
and ripe Mangifera indica L. peel extract. Food and Chemical Toxicology 48: 3406 - 4311.230
Akpinar, E. K and Bicer, Y.（2004）.

112

GroupⅠ
Group theme

Agriculture
Presenters:

Rachel Drobnak, Michigan State University
Yong-Sin Lo, National Chung-Hsing University
Vatsal Arora, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University
Intan Afiqah Ahmad Fadzil, Universiti Putra Malaysia
Chairpersons:

Muy Leang Kim, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Parminder, Tokyo University of Agriculture

113

What do we lose when unfettered capitalism
meets under-utilized species?
Rachel Drobnak
Advisor: Rhonda Crackel
Michigan State University, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

With 30,000 edible plant species available globally, the breadth of agricultural diversity is
staggering, but the widespread use of these diverse species is limited to 150 crop species thatare easy to breed for specific purposes, commoditize, and transport. They are promoted innumerous environments at the expense of other crops that are more suitable to the growing
environments, cropping systems, cultural preferences and dietary needs of the population（Handschuch, 2014; Huggins, 2014; Khojely et al., 2018）. In addition, the actual number ofcultivars utilized within a species continues to be narrowed（Altieri, 1999）, as commodity andseed companies’ bottom line centers on profit. There are a multitude of environmental,
agroecological, and nutritional benefits to increasing the diversity of the plant and animals
species used for food and fiber, including recycling of nutrients, control of microclimates,
regulation of hydrological processes, regulation of soil resources（Altieri, 1999; Cabell & Oelofse,
2012; Meldrum et al., 2018）, dietary diversity, and improved health and well-being throughrecognition and maintenance of cultural heritage. Now there are even more compelling reasons
to increase agricultural diversity, including climate change and the recent global pandemic thathas led to breaks in food systems.
Valuable crop species produced and consumed regionally by various communities,
including indigenous populations, have been largely ignored or left out of crop improvement
measures to the detriment of agrobiodiversity. These valuable crops, often called under-utilized
species, are one important element of agricultural diversity with a key role to play in the futureof our sustainable, resilient, and nutritious food systems（Massawe et al., 2016）.
In the first two decades of this century, we have seen a boom-and-bust cycle of quinoa thathas benefited many, at the expense of agricultural and environmental sustainability. Despite theeconomic gains from the boom, even for marginal growers of quinoa in the Andes, evidence
reveals that past social inequities continued to disenfranchise indigenous communities that were
the stewards of quinoa for centuries.
This is proven in the consequences of the unmanaged quinoa boom, from about 2004-2014.
During this time, producer prices increased by a factor of seven or greater, and the quantity
produced, on average, tripled（Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2018）.
While this change was financially beneficial for many producers, it also caused multiple
agronomic and cultural injustices. Specifically, indigenous producers faced cultural tensions with
opportunistic producers: growers who moved to the Andean region and began producing
quinoa because of increasing demand and price. Oftentimes, their production was lesssustainable from the practices of indigenous producers（AVSF, 2014; Kerssen, 2015; Walsh114

Dilley, 2016）. For example, cultural management practices to prevent soil degradation werereduced or ignored—especially by opportunistic growers—as production increased to match
global demand. These practices include crop rotations, long fallow（or resting）periods, andllama herding. Thus, they were able to outproduce indigenous growers and saturate the quinoa
market.
After 2014, supply outweighed demand, and quinoa prices dropped rapidly to pre-boom
levels, exacerbating historical inequities （McDonell, 2019）. This boom and bust occurredbecause there was a rushed, unregulated attempt to create a strong global commodity. The
governments of Peru and Bolivia were not able to support quinoa producers throughinstitutional measures such as regulated commodity standards. Additionally, traditional quinoa
producers were not prepared to design and manage sustainable agricultural systems which
would produce uniform, market-class quality quinoa. Finally, indigenous producers were notprotected from new growers who were often able to out-produce them.
To prevent these consequences in similar underutilized species and to remedy the
problems of quinoa’s globalization, we suggest three institutional structures to support
producers and responsible land management practices: 1） farmers organizations andcooperatives, 2） equitable and sustainable quinoa companies, and 3） improved agriculturalextension offices. Specifically, quinoa companies have the potential to solve some of the shortand long-term consequences of underutilized-species globalization. For example, brands like
Alter Eco（USA and Australia）and Kirkland Signature（Costco）work directly with traditional
smallholder producers to improve sustainable farming practices, provide stable income tohouseholds, and support quinoa communities outside of the commodity chain. Most importantly,
these brands communicate their mission, action, and impact clearly to consumers. This helps
create a society that values equity over profit.
We use this case study of the quinoa boom and bust cycle to propose a starting framework
to ensure the stewards of minor crops lead and benefit fully from a rise in global demand. For
example, we are working with Terra Ingredients in Senegal to equitably grow the market for aWest African grain, fonio. Future work on fonio and other underutilized species should beframed within the institutional structures outlined above. To create equitable, inclusive
commodity chains, the context and values of the culture involved should be foremost inconversations and decisions about global food production. The renewed appreciation of thesediverse crops for global food and nutritional security opens an opportunity for cultures tobenefit from ancestral knowledge and their stewardship of crops. However, we must ensure thestewards of these crops actually do benefit from, lead and design the pathways towards
domestic or global commercialization.
References
Altieri, M. A.（1999）. The ecological role of biodiversity in agroecosystems. In M. G. Paoletti（Ed.）, Invertebrate Biodiversity as Bioindicators of Sustainable Landscapes （pp. 19-31）.
Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-50019-9.50005-4
AVSF.（2014）.Quinua y Territorio Nuevos Desafíos: Gobernanza Local y Producción Sostenible
115

de la Quinua Real en Bolivia. AVSF.
Cabell, J. F., & Oelofse, M. （2012）. An Indicator Framework for Assessing Agroecosystem
Resilience. Ecology and Society, 17（1）.https://www.jstor.org/stable/26269017
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.（2018）. FAOSTAT. http://www.fao.
org/faostat/en/#data/QC
Handschuch, C. （2014）. Traditional Food Crop Production and Marketing in Sub-SaharanAfrica—The Case of Finger Millet in Western Kenya.
Huggins, C. （2014）. Seeing Like A Neoliberal State? Authoritarian High Modernism,
Commercialization and Governmentality in Rwanda’s Agricultural Reform［Text, Carleton
University］. https://curve.carleton.ca/f042ba79-4f7f-47d6-85c4-150eb5b337e9
Kerssen, T. M. （2015）. Food sovereignty and the quinoa boom: Challenges to sustainablere-peasantisation in the southern Altiplano of Bolivia. Third World Quarterly, 36（3）, 489-507.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2015.1002992
Khojely, D. M., Ibrahim, S. E., Sapey, E., & Han, T.（2018）.History, current status, and prospectsof soybean production and research in sub-Saharan Africa. The Crop Journal, 6（3）, 226-235.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cj.2018.03.006
Massawe, F., Mayes, S., & Cheng, A.（2016）. Crop Diversity: An Unexploited Treasure Trove
for Food Security. Trends in Plant Science, 21（ 5）, 365-368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
tplants.2016.02.006
McDonell, E. （2019）.（Re）producing “Indian food”: race, value, and development in Peru’s
quinoa boom-bust. 303.
Meldrum, G., Mijatović, D., Rojas, W., Flores, J., Pinto, M., Mamani, G., Condori, E., Hilaquita, D.,
Gruberg, H., & Padulosi, S.（2018）. Climate change and crop diversity: Farmers’ perceptions
and adaptation on the Bolivian Altiplano. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 20（2）, 703-730. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-016-9906-4
Walsh-Dilley, M. （2016）. Tensions of resilience: Collective property, individual gain and theemergent conflicts of the quinoa boom. Resilience, 4（1）, 30-43. https://doi.org/10.1080/216932
93.2015.1094168

116

Raise the awareness of agricultural water shortage issue
among new generation in Taiwan
Yong-Sin Lo
Advisor: Dr. Shaw-Yhi Hwang
National Chung-Hsing University
Department of Entomology

Water is the essential source for agriculture, industry and domestic water. The main
precipitation of Taiwan was consist of typhoon and stationary front during the spring andsummer season, which bring full amount of accumulated precipitation for Taiwan（Shiau &Hsiao, 2012）. However, since Taiwan is a narrow island with many high mountains at thecentral, rainfall was difficult to conserve and will flow into ocean rapidly, so Taiwan was faced
the problem of water shortage almost every year within decade. Furthermore, La Niña year
happen in 2020 altered the region of typhoon genesis and degree of the subtropical highpressure belt（Li et al., 2021）, lead to no typhoon landed on Taiwan. In spring of 2021, thewater level of reservoir in mid of Taiwan was significantly lower than previous years andcaused the policy of water rationing.
The drought will cause a serious impact on agriculture, not only decreased the yield ofrice, fruit setting rate, but also harmful to the plant-pollinator interaction（Descamps et al.,2021）
. All of them result in the financial loss. However, some people have the wrong conceptthat water rationing on agriculture will help reservoir conserve more water, but the truth told
us that there is only 11% of irrigation from reservoir every year in Taiwan （Tsai, 2021）.
Additionally, irrigation water for rice can also help to accumulate aquifer and benefit to ecology.
So, rationing of agriculture water should not be the priority thing to do during the phase ofdrought. In order to know the opinion and concept of water shortage issue among young
generation in Taiwan, we conducted a questionnaire survey to understand their knowledge
about water shortage issue. By this questionnaire, we can clearly know their opinion andconduct some lecture for education.
In questionnaire, there are 218 participants in total, we found that most of the participant
don’t have the complete concept of water using condition on agriculture in Taiwan. For
example, only 13.3% of them know the main water resources of irrigation water in Taiwan isriver and barrage, most of them think the main resources of irrigation water is come fromreservoir and ground water aquifer. However, 53% of them still disagree with put agriculture in
the first place of water rationing. The result indicated that the education about water issue isnecessary for young generation in Taiwan.
Due to the global warming influence the climate of the world, the problem of drought or
flood will more frequented happen in the future（Naumann et al., 2018）.In this presentation, wewant to give the young generation student have a complete concept to face these problems.
Hope that participants from any country can think about if the situation happen in their117

country and prepare in advance.
References
Descamps, C., Quinet, M., & Jacquemart, A. L. （2021）. The effects of drought on plant －pollinator interactions: What to expect? Environmental and Experimental Botany, 182,
104297. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2020.104297
Li, B., Gu, C., & Zhang, W.（2021）. The Spatial Variation Characteristics and Mechanism ofLanding Tropical Cyclones in China. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental
Science, 809（1）,012010. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/809/1/012010
Naumann, G., Alfieri, L., Wyser, K., Mentaschi, L., Betts, R. A., Carrao, H., . . . Feyen, L.（2018）.
Global Changes in Drought Conditions Under Different Levels of Warming. 45（7）, 3285-3296.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL076521
News&Market. https://www.newsmarket.com.tw/blog/150792/
Shiau, J. T., & Hsiao, Y. Y.（2012）. Water-deficit-based drought risk assessments in Taiwan.
Natural Hazards, 64（1）,237-257. doi:10.1007/s11069-012-0239-9

118

Agriculture for youth
Vatsal Arora
Advisor: Prof. Ravi Gupta
Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar（India）

Agriculture in India, isn’t merely an enterprise, it is a form of lifestyle upon which depend
aspirations of over a billion people. During 2020, when the Indian Gross Domestic Product（GDP）was heading south, agriculture was the only sector which showed growth owing to agood Rabi harvest（National Statistical Office, 2020）This reiterated its importance as a sectorof unmatched potential and resilience, which supports 17% world’s population with limited 4.2%
world’s water resources and just 2.3% global land（Indian Council of Agricultural Research,2007）. This puts immense pressure on the natural resources which, apart from their rapid
depletion and pollution, and also coping with the anthropogenic demands amidst a worldwide
pandemic, are already under the threat of ongoing and impending Climate Change.
Agriculture encompasses a wide range of activities that contribute heavily to the rich biodiversity and nature, while feeding the teeming human population, fueling the global economy,
employment among others. Any change in agricultural system is bound to have far reachingconsequences. Therefore, it is our responsibility to look for solutions that are environmentally,socially and economically sustainable. Enjoying the world’s largest population of under 30 yearsof age, Indian youth have the responsibility to steer not only India, but the entire world
towards a more sustainable and globally shared enduring future. For this, an ecosystem of
education, research and extension must be developed to attract youth towards agriculture.
During the last few years, I have tried to equip myself for the challenges we as humanity
face viz. food and nutritional security for a growing population, resource depletion, climatechange, economic security for farmers, environmental degradation among others.
The potential of precision farming tools has become evident for improving yield per unit
area. This is especially important for small and marginal farmers, which form a majority of the
farming population. Youth can leverage digital solutions to bring the revolution of Digital India
to farmlands. Precision Farming with its Internet-of-Things enabled smart devices, remotesensing and geo-informatics systems can help in site specific micro-management of the soil andplant microclimate. This will ultimately help in improving yield, reducing input costs,
conserving water and providing better soil management opportunities.（Kritikos et al., 2017）
For more practical exposure, I joined an “Experiential Learning Program” on “Hi-Tech
Agriculture”, where we became familiar with devices like weather meter, smart irrigation
systems, site specific applicators etc. to grow horticultural crops. To add to the budding
entrepreneurial spirit, we ultimately sold all the plants at the university mart with valueenhancement and marketing. This allowed me to practically experience diverse plant groups indifferent phases of growth and their handling under abiotic and biotic stresses.
A report on role of precision farming in climate action plan for India was presented in the119“India International Science Festival”. Students, innovators and scientists had all gathered tointeract, discuss their ideas, and display their prototypes. The energy, scientific aptitude andcuriosity that my fellow presenters had was irreplicable.
The fest helped me realize the sheer magnitude of the challenges that we all as humanity
are facing.
Climate change is unsettling the very foundation of agriculture. It is estimated that theyield of staple crops in India will be reduced by 50% by 2050 through changes in temperature,
rainfall intensity and weather （Rasul, 2021）.The abiotic and biotic challenges like sudden
droughts, heat waves, floods and increased susceptibility of crops to pests and diseases will posea considerable challenge to meet the food requirement of the world, which is expected to
double around 2050. This can be met by equipping youth with research exposure, mentoring tohelp them explore their intellectual strengths and abilities. This is of paramount importance for
ensuring progress of humanity. I had decided early on, that I wanted to become a researcher.
Then luckily, I was accepted in a research involved in improving abiotic resistance of major
staple crops. I learnt how to use various kinds of instruments both on and off the field, learnt
the principles of working in a lab, to be inquisitive about everything and to deal with seemingly
insurmountable problems that had no obvious solutions at first sight. I learnt to appreciate thescorching sun, the sweat and the hard-earned data from the fields. It gave me a broad
understanding of the research system and also brought me closer to the subject.
Integrated Farming Systems promote crop diversification, while providing opportunity for
Integrated Nutrient Management, conserving soil biodiversity, in-situ crop residue management,
and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions while reduce the risks involved in monoculture（Rose et al., 2019）.This would also improve the soil resilience and provide added nutritional
benefits to the local populace.
Consumers have also started to focus on healthier and nutritionally secure food which canprovide a boost to immunity. Similarly, the rise of lifestyle related disorders like diabetes will
herald a demand for Low Glycemic Index food products. The traditional food value chains will
have to be transformed to meet the demands from urban centers. This is possible only if therural youth learn skills of production and post-harvest technology. This can include value
addition to grown food to make them lucrative for the markets. On the village level, jam, pickle
and candy making workshops were conducted. Depending on the extra time they had, some
women did start taking it up. Apart from local employment, it would also improve their socialand economic dignity. It also puts money in the hands of women, which improves living
standard of the family. But all this cannot be made possible without instilling in youth a sense ofsocial and civic responsibility. Under the flagship government programme of National Service
Scheme, social service volunteers like me survey numerous villages every year and interact
with various farmers to experience their day-to-day challenges. Which is followed by discussion
sessions with subject matter experts. We encouraged farmers to go for diversification of crops
to reduce risk of monoculture while evolving to meet the changing consumer demand of the
future. Interestingly, India is the world’s largest producer, importer and consumer of pulses. So,
incorporating pulses in the cropping pattern would rejuvenate the soil, as well as the120

government treasury. It also includes diversification of farming operations viz. converting
Transplanted Paddy Rice into Direct Seeded rice （DSR）, which would be instrumental in
reducing the Green House Gas emissions from about 30 to 58% as compared to puddled riceand save labor costs, while improving the yield, preserving the soil health and leading toefficient water use.（Kaur & Singh, 2017）
We also found that farmers started to realize the potential of online trading as COVID-19
had disrupted the supply chains due to various lockdowns, trade restrictions and limited
movement. We conducted training sessions for farmers to register on various portals for selling
their produce online. We had the availability of smartphones and easily available internet, but
skilling sexagenarians-septuagenarians was an uphill task. Though it did not immediately cause
them to start using the platforms due to technological deficiencies which could not be
encountered in the small window of time that we had but we were able to achieve a slightchange in mindset. Some younger farmers were aware of such e-commerce platforms, which
led to ease in convincing and helping them realize the pros and cons of selling their produce tounseen buyers.
With some luck and hard work, I was able to connect Research, Education and Extension
which, I believe, are the most essential for youth to achieve the goal of economic, social andenvironmental sustainability.
Acknowledgments: I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Dr. Aparna, Associate
Professor（English, Phonetics and Spoken English）and Dr. Seema（Assistant Professor）,Nehru
Library, CCSHAU, Hisar for their critical reviews on this manuscript.
References
National Statistical Office, Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation Government ofIndia.（2020, November 27）. Estimates of Gross Press Note On Domestic Product For The
Second Quarter（July-September）2020-2021［Press release］. http://www.mospi.nic.in/pressrelease
Indian Council of Agricultural Research.（2007, May 25）. National Agricultural Scenario. ICAR.
https://icar.org.in/files/state-specific/chapter/3.htm
Kritikos, M., European Parliament. Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services, &European Parliament. European Parliamentary Research Service. Scientific Foresight Unit.
（2017）. Precision Agriculture in Europe. European Parliament. https://doi.org/10.2861/
278QA-06-17-010-EN-N
Golam Rasul.（2021）.Twin challenges of COVID-19 pandemic and climate change for agriculture
and food security in South Asia, Environmental Challenges, Vol2,100027, ISSN 2667-0100,
doi:10.1016/j.envc.2021.100027
Rose, D. C., Sutherland, W. J., & Barnes, A. P. （2019）. Integrated farm management forsustainable agriculture: Lessons for knowledge exchange and policy. Land Use Policy, 81,
834-842. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.11.001
Kaur, J., & Singh, A. （2017）. Direct Seeded Rice: Prospects, Problems/Constraints andResearchable Issues in India. Current Agriculture Research Journal, 5（1）, 13-32. https://doi.
org/10.12944/carj.5.1.03

121

Freezing Method on Minimally Processed Durian
for Long Term Storage
Intan Afiqah Ahmad Fadzil
Advisor: Associate Professor Dr. Juwaidah Sharifuddin
Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia

Freezing is one of the oldest and most extensively utilised methods of food preservation,
as it allows for the best preservation of taste, texture, and nutritional content in foods. The
freezing process combines the favourable advantages of low temperatures, which prevent
microbes from growing, inhibit chemical reactions, and delay cellular metabolic reactions（Delgado and Sun, 2000）. Most foods have been successfully frozen for long-term preservation,
resulting in a greatly increased shelf life. In Malaysia, durians have variety of texture, taste andaroma as compared to the other counterpart durian producer in Southeast Asia. Musang King（MK）is the most popular durian clones among 204 durian clones in Malaysia. According to the
Department of Agriculture, Malaysia produced 300,000 tonnes of durians annually and thepremium grade MK yielded 69,000 tonnes and a quarter of the premium durian production
were exported to China（DOA, 2019）. Due to improper handling procedures for marketing andstorage conditions during peak season, durian tends to deteriorate between 20% and 25% asfruits continue to respire long after harvest. Furthermore, durian fruits have a relatively short
shelf life of three to four days, according to reports（Pauziah et al., 1992）. As a result, in orderto supply and preserve the quality of durians throughout the year, freezing is one of the best
options.
In 2018, 2 students from Universiti Putra Malaysia with the help of 2 research officers
from Malaysian Agricultural Research Development Institute（MARDI）have discussed about aplan to construct the experiment to identify the suitable freezing temperature of Durian
Musang King for long term storage and investigate the respiration rates of freezing MK basedon the carbon dioxide. This study was conducted by using two different temperature of cold
room and 12 samples of MK were stored at both 7℃ and -18 ℃ . From this experiment, wecollected the data regarding the condition of the samples everyday and the samples wereobserved for 7 days and it was found that all samples at -18℃ cold room have seriously cracked
after 7 hours of storage while only 1 sample of durian was cracked after 5-day storage at 7℃ .
Hence, it was found to be better in storing durian at 7 ℃ because it is still in good condition
after 5 days of storage.
There is another alternative that are more powerful to extending durian’s shelf life which
is nitrogen freezing. Nearly half of durian suppliers in Malaysia applying this kind of freezing
method. They freeze it at -90℃ about 1 hour and the frozen durian can be last almost 2
months.
The commodities that can be frozen are frequently the most perishable, as well as themost expensive. As a result, demand for these commodities is lower in developing countries.
122

Besides, the need for adequate technology for freezing process is the major drawback in mycommunity in competing with industrialized countries. The frozen food industry requires
accompanying developments and facilities for transporting, storing, and marketing theirproducts from the processing plant to the consumer（Mallett, 1993）. Thus, a large amount of
capital investment is needed for these types of facilities.
However, we found that freezing method is one of the most essential strategies forpreserving excellent quality in agricultural products over lengthy periods of storage as frozen
storage has successfully prolonged the shelf life even though it influenced on quality of frozen
durian when preserved for a long time but the changes were not extreme and durians could
still be consumed. In this context, students should investigate and learn more about the effect offreezing fruit at certain temperatures to improve the efficiency of this method. Besides, it canbe used as a future reference for another researcher about this method.
By adapting this technology, we are confident that it will bring a positive impact to ouragricultural sustainability.
References
Tan, X. Y., Misran, A., Daim, L. D. J., Ding, P., & Pak Dek, M. S.（2017）. Effect of freezing on
minimally processed durian for long term storage. Scientia Horticulturae, 264（November
2017）, 109170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2017.109170
Prakobsang, S., Pornchaloempong, P., & Inta, W.（2015）.Effect of Selected Freezing Methods on
Quality of Durian Flesh with Seed. 10th TSAE International Conference: TSAE 2017, 61-65.
Voon, Y. Y., Hamid, N. S. A., Rusul, G., Osman, A., & Quek, S. Y.（2006）. Physicochemical,
microbial and sensory changes of minimally processed durian（Durio zibethinus cv. D24）
during storage at 4 and 28℃ . Postharvest Biology and Technology, 42（2）, 168-175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2006.06.006

123

Group J
Group theme

Environment
Presenters:

Nguyen Duc Canh, Vietnam National University of Agriculture
Cao Thi Thu Thuy, Vietnam National University of Agriculture
Érica Coutinho David, Federal Rural University of Amazon
Angelica Tso, The University of British Columbia
Arostegui, Keiji, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Chairpersons:Somara Oum, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Junya Kodama, Tokyo University of Agriculture

125

The changes on the consuming habits of Vietnamese youth
to deal with microplastic pollution
Nguyen Duc Canh1, Cao Thi Thu Thuy2
Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy3
Vietnam National University of Agriculture1

Department of Environmental Technology, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment23

Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology

Department of Post-harvest Technology, Faculty of Food Technology

Moving towards the 21st century, the environment in Vietnam have been facing with alarge number of challenges and threats that come from many sources. Air pollution, waterpollution and soil pollution are which mankind has been solving for sustainable and long-term
development in the relationship among Vietnamese economy, society, and environment. The
abuse of using plastic products directs to the generation of microplastics in the environment.
Microplastic, often known as plastic particles less than 5mm in length（Cole et al., 2011; Lots etal., 2017）, because of their sizes, easily goes to live body via food chains. Whenevermicroplastics survive in marine environment or other organisms, they can easily absorb
accumulated toxins that stick on suface of living creatures and exist there. Microplastic,
commonly classified by their shapes, may be filbers, fragments, particle, etc.
The recent research of our teachers and colleagues at Minhkhai district, Hungyen
province, Vietnam shows that the plastic recycling village currently has 48 plastic recycling
facilities in operation, the average amount of recycled plastic is 2.21 ± 0.095 tons/household/day. The water source used for production obtained from groundwater with a recycling rate of
33.3%. There are 8 main disposal points discharging waste water into receving water. The
measured flow rate is 15.1 - 16.8 m3/h. The analysis results of microplastic content in theenvironment obtained 0.33 ± 0.05 g/L of resin, in which microplastics had 0.03 g/L. In riverwater samples, 67% flakes and 33% other plastics were found. In the sediment sample, 0.45%
microplastics and 4.63% plastic fragments were detected.
In 2019, we took part in a summer volunteer campaign in Quangxuong district, Thanhhoa
province, Vietnam with the theme “Marine environment without plastic waste”. During the 14
days of the campaign, we cleared and cleaned more than 5 km of coastline and raised
awareness of limiting the use of plastic utensils to local people. As Vietnamese young, and a
student studying in the line of science, we have been actively participating in research on
microplastic pollution problems in Vietnam and finding out solutions to deal with the serious
consequences of plastic pollution.
Currently, the young generation in Vietnam is witnessing the worst environmental andecological changes caused by plastic and microplastics. This situation reduces the quality of life
and affects the development of future generations dramatically. Therefore, they are more
knowledgeable and quickly approach new thinking about green lifestyle in this modern life. “No126

plastic” trend has gradually become the most popular lifestyle that Vietnamese youth aim for.
The youth now pay more attention to the environment through actively participating inenvironmental protection activities such as cleaning up garbage in residential areas, beaches ormobilizing people to limit the use of plastic bags. They, even students are active and creative
when creating projects and websites to convey information related to plastic waste,
microplastic pollution, calling for action by the community such as Green Hero project of the
youth from Danang, Rethink Plastic Vietnam Organization, Green Life Facebook page, Eco-Fair
Facebook page and website, etc. In addition, famous Vietnamese artists and influencers are also
very enthusiastic in changing consumption habits to reduce plastic waste and spread thatlifestyle with their followers（Người Nổi Tiếng Lan Tỏa Thông Điệp : “Nói Không Với Sản PhẩmNhựa Dùng Một Lần !,” n.d.）. Remarkably, the youth have had many start-up projects fromgarbage, making shoes with coffee residue, virtual pants from industrial “garbage” tothoroughly useful “filling” stations（Lại Đây Refill Station - Trạm Nhỏ Lan Tỏa Lối Sống Xanh |Vietcetera, n.d.; Những Startup “Chơi Trội ” Trong “Làng Khởi Nghiệp ” Gây Ấn Tượng Xuất Phát
Từ Việc Bảo vệ Môi Trường , n.d.）.

However, the popularization of “No plastic” consumption still has to face to a vast ofchallenges. About 2 years ago, many restaurants, supermarkets and coffee shops switched tousing environmentally friendly packaging products instead of ordinary plastic cups and plasticbags. However, nowadays some must give up because of the limited supply sources and thecost of them is more expensive than plastic bags. Besides that, a significant number of people
do not have the habit of paying for packaging products. The low cost and convenience of
shopping without carrying a bag is one of the reasons why it is difficult to reduce plastic waste.
Additionally, if only stopping at advocacy and encouragement without the support of policy andcapital for business, few enterprises can participate in green production. Consumers must also
consume responsibly because when a huge of consumers use environmentally friendly
packaging products, it will contribute to reducing costs and promoting production（Cơ Hội và

Thách Thức Trong Thúc Đẩy Tiêu Dùng Xanh ở Việt Nam , n.d.; We Are the Answer to Vietnam ’s

Drastic Plastic Problem - VnExpress International , n.d.）. In addition, eco-friendly products havenot been widely sold at convenience stores and these products need to be recognized asmeeting the quality standards of the licensing authority to be introduced products to
consumers easily. Many environmental experts said that to spread green consumption in thecommunity, it is not advisable to rely on nature because if only the leaves and stems are
exploited to make environmentally friendly products without a planting plan, it will direct
greater consequences. Accordingly, we highly recommend that the government needs to havespecifically support policies for the development of new and eco-friendly products, and toenhance people’s awareness of environmental issues, especially plastic waste, nylon products.
REFERENCESCơ hội và thách thức trong thúc đẩy tiêu dùng xanh ở Việt Nam .（n.d.）. Retrieved June 14, 2021,
from http://tapchimoitruong.vn/moi-truong-va-cong-dong-84/Cơ-hội-và-thách-thức-trong-thúc-đẩy-tiêu-dùng-xanh-ở-Việt-Nam- 2 1 2 0 6 ?fbclid=IwAR 1 dH_NztIqvKaxuZcOPpkyj

127

HbESkm1vWlRiy-ejNy0AUngg2qLvhhQEy6c
Cole, M., Lindeque, P., Halsband, C., & Galloway, T. S.（2011）. Microplastics as contaminants inthe marine environment: A review. In Marine Pollution Bulletin（Vol. 62, Issue 12, pp. 25882597）. Pergamon. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.09.025
Lại Đây Refill Station - Trạm nhỏ lan tỏa lối sống xanh | Vietcetera .（n.d.）. Retrieved June 14,
2021, from https://vietcetera.com/vn/lai-day-refill-station-tram-nho-lan-toa-loi-song-xanh
Lots, F. A. E., Behrens, P., Vijver, M. G., Horton, A. A., & Bosker, T.（2017）. A large-scale
investigation of microplastic contamination: Abundance and characteristics of microplastics inEuropean beach sediment. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 123（ 1-2）, 219-226. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.08.057
Người nổi tiếng lan tỏa thông điệp : “Nói không với sản phẩm nhựa dùng một lần !” （n.d.）.
Retrieved June 14, 2021, from https://www.hcmcpv.org.vn/tin-tuc/nguoi-noi-tieng-lan-toathong-diep-noi-khong-voi-san-pham-nhua-dung-mot-lan-1491863894
Những startup “chơi trội ” trong “làng khởi nghiệp ” gây ấn tượng xuất phát từ việc bảo vệ môitrường . （n.d.）. Retrieved June 14, 2021, from https://kinhtechungkhoan.vn/nhung-startup-choi-troi-trong-lang-khoi-nghiep-gay-an-tuong-xuat-phat-tu-viec-bao-ve-moi-truong-46821.

html?fbclid=IwAR0Ivv5doLHa-mUTdQlVrWeGmK7fx-kXiWGvyYftJZUHTyRVYJuIIHStpKs
We are the answer to Vietnam’s drastic plastic problem - VnExpress International. （n.d.）.
Retrieved June 10, 2021, from https://e.vnexpress.net/news/perspectives/we-are-the-answerto-vietnam-s-drastic-plastic-problem-4193543.html

128Using agro-industrial by-products to achieve sustainable
livestock production in Brazilian Amazon
Érica Coutinho David
Advisor: Thiago Carvalho da Silva
Federal Rural University of Amazon, Institute of Agricultural Science

The use of technologies as high-yield varieties combined with improved crop management
practices as irrigation, fertilizers and tractors have promoted a global food production enoughto feed the increasing population during the last decades. At the same time, population growth,urbanization, and other factors have increased the demand for animal products especially in
Asia and Latin America over the years（Borlaug & Dowsweel, 2005）. The aim of this study isshow the potential of using agro-industrial by-products as alternative feeds to achievesustainable livestock in Brazilian Amazon. In this context, Brazilian livestock production
systems have the challenge of feeding the world in a country with the second largest forestarea（497 million hectares）and the biggest quantity of tree species in the world（9,223 tree
species; FAO & UNEP, 2020）. Considering the occupation of South and Southeast arable areas
in Brazil, Amazon region is an agricultural frontier to be conquered and land-use researches
have showed the increase process of deforestation, which is commonly associated with theadvance of pasture areas used for livestock production. However, according to Brazilian
Institute of Geography and Statistics and National Institute for Space Research database ofland-use and deforestation monitoring, respectively, Brazilian deforestation decreased 75% from2004 to 2017. At the same time, the pasture area decreased 23.8% from 2006 to 2017 in Brazil（IBGE, 2017; INPE, 2020）. Brazilian government undergoes a national and internationalpressure to implement initiatives for deforestation reduction and consequently achieve the goals
for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Some government actions had results until 2013, but
deforestation rates have been rising and worsening in preoccupants levels, achieving 11,088km²
in 2020 since that year（Silva Junior, 2020; INPE, 2020）. Brazil have potential for expansion ofarable lands that can be used for food production without deforestation of Amazon Forest, withapproximately 220 million hectares of pastures that could be managed to intensify production
and release area for other cultures（Alves et al., 2008）, which is already happening. Throughthe sustainable intensification, degraded pastures have been converted in crop fields andrecovered pastures for meat and milk production. These actions have decreased the total
pasture areas to 160 million hectares while the yield have increased over the years（IBGE,
2017）. Therefore, the possible way to achieve a sustainable production in Amazon is increase
productivity in opened areas, by recovering degraded pastures, using integrated crop-livestock
production systems, and feed supplementation with non-conventional animal feeds. Alternativeand regional feeds have been used in many countries around the world because it does notcompete with human feeds and other reasons that will be discussed. The use of by-products
from agro-industry is an alternative to supply the nutritional demand of animals to reduce the129cost of animal feeding and to provide a destination to elements that usually to becomes
environmental pollutants, as the residual frying oil used in diets for ruminants（Menezes et al.,2016; Oliveira et al., 2017; Peixoto et al., 2017）. Murumuru （Astrocaryum murumuru var.
murumuru Mart.）, used in cosmetic industry and cupuaçu（Theobroma grandiflorum Schum）,afruit producer of chocolate and consumed in natura are examples of potential species withutilization of agro-industrial by-products to substitute conventional feeds（Menezes et al., 2016;Rodrigues et al., 2015）. Agro-industrial by products can also be used to improve the silage
quality. Silage is a method of conservation of forage crops and grains based on a fermentation
process with preserves feed quality and allows the food storage for later utilization. The gases
produced in this process can be significant and become an environmental concern. Silage
production of crops with high moisture content produces effluents from the cells rupture andextravasation which can also be an environmental concern. If the silage effluents reach water
courses, the pollution is 200 times higher than domestic sewage（McDonald et al., 1991）. Since
1999 researches have showed that including by-products in silage production decrease gas
emissions and effluent production （Megías et al., 1999; Santos et al., 2014）. The use of
by-products of murumuru and pataua promoted almost the total elimination of silage effluent
and reduced the fermentation losses in elephant grass silage, which represents gains ineconomic and environmental ways（Menezes et al., 2016; Queiroz et al., 2020）. It is proven thatthe use of by-products in order to reach sustainability is notable. However, there is a constantneed of research evaluation of each by-product considering toxicity and nutritional parameters
to define the ideal level of inclusion for each animal diet. The function of university students
start being part of researches groups and extensions programs in university as GERFAM（Study Group on Ruminants and Forage Production of the Amazon; https://www.gerfam.com.
br/）, and as a connection between universities and society, spreading and applying theacademic knowledge in society. In Brazil, universities research projects study these and manyothers by-products in feed diets, but researchers have faced crescents cuts in budget destined
to education and research, hampering research conduction in Brazil. Thus, considering theimportance of Amazon ecosystem and necessity of increase food production, the use of agroindustrial by-products is an alternative to combine those objectives and achieve social,environmental and economic sustainability.
References
Alves, E.R.A., Contini, E., & Gasques, J. （2008）. Evolução da produção e produtividade daagricultura brasileira. In Albuquerque, A.C.S., & Silva, A.G.（Ed.）,Agricultura tropical: quatro
décadas de inovações tecnológicas, institucionais e políticas. （pp. 67-97） Brasília: Embrapa
Informação Tecnológica.
Borlaug, N.E., & Dowswell, C.R.（2005）. Feeding a world of ten billion people: a 21st century
challenge. In: Proceedings of the International Congress in the Wake of the Double Helix:
From the Green Revolution to the Gene Revolution. Bologna, Italy: Avenue Media. pp. 3-23.
FAO, & UNEP.（2020）. The State of the World’s Forests 2020. Forests, biodiversity and people.
Rome: FAO. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4060/ca8642en
IBGE.（2017）. Utilização das terras. Retrieved May 23, 2021 from https://censos.ibge.gov.br/
130

agro/2017/templates/censo_agro/resultadosagro/estabelecimentos.html
INPE.（2020）. Monitoramento do desmatamento da floresta Amazônica brasileira por satélite.
Retrieved May 20, 2021 Retrieved May 20, 2021 from http://www.obt.inpe.br/OBT/
assuntos/programas/amazonia/prodes
McDonald, P., Henderson, A.R., & Heron, S.J.E. （1991）. The biochemistry of silage. Marlow:
Chalcomb.
Megías, M.D., Martinéz-Teruel, A., & Hérnandez, M.R.（1999）.Potential environmental impact ofeffluents from the artichoke（Cynara scolymus L.）byproduct ensiling process using additives.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 47（6）, 2455-2458. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/
jf981118q
Menezes, B.P., Rodrigues, L.S., Lourenço Júnior, J. B., Silva, A.G..M., Andrade, S.J.T., Silva, J.A.R.,
Faturi, C., Garcia, A.R., Nahúm, B.S., Barbosa, A.V.C., Budel, J.C.C., & Araújo, G.S.（2016）.
Intake, digestibility, and nitrogen balance of rations containing different levels of murumuru
meal in sheep diets. Semina: Ciências Agrárias, 37（1）415-428. DOI: 10.5433/1679-0359.2016
v37n1p415
Oliveira, A.L.B., Monteiro, E.M.M., Faturi, C., Rodrigues, L.F.S., Domingues, F.N., & Rêgo, A.C.
（2017）. Comportamento ingestivo de ovinos alimentados com dietas contendo óleo de fritura
residual. Revista de Ciências Agrárias 60, 90-95. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4322/rca.60104
Peixoto, E.L.T., Mizubuti, I.Y., Ribeiro, E.L.A., Moura, E.S., Pereira, E.S., Prado, O.P.P., Carvalho,
L.N., & Pires, K.A. Residual frying oil in the diets of sheep: intake, digestibility, nitrogenbalance and ruminal parameters. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences 30（1）, 51-56.
DOI:10.5713/ajas.15.0970
Rodrigues, L.S., Menezes, B.P., Silva, A.G.M., Faturi, C., Silva, J.A.R., Garcias, A.R., Nahúm, B.S.,
Andrade, S.J.T., & Lourenço Júnior, J.B.（2015）. Ovine feed intake, digestibility, and nitrogenbalance in feeds containing different amounts of cupuaçu meal. Semina: Ciências Agrárias 36（4）, 2799-2808. DOI: 10.5433/1679-0359.2015v36n4p2799
Queiroz, A.C.M., Santos, W.M., Mendonça, R.C.A., Santos, R.I.R., Silva, T.C., Domingues, F.N., &Rêgo, A.C.（2020）. Effects of inclusion of patauá, Oenocarpus bataua meal on elephant grasssilage. Acta Amazonica 50（2）, 101-107. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4392201901691
Santos, I.A.P., Domingues, F.N., Rêgo, A.C., Souza, N.S.S., Bernardes, T.F., Barata, Z.R.P., &Moraes, C.M. （2014）. Palm kernel meal as additive in the elephant-grass silage. Revista
Brasileira de Saúde e Produção Animal 15（3）, 592-603. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S151999402014000300006
Silva Junior, C.H.L., Pessôa, A.C.M., Carvalho, N.S., Reis, J.B.C., Anderson, L.O., & Aragão,L.E.O.C. （2021）. The Brazilian Amazon deforestation rate in 2020 is the greatest of thedecade. Nature, Ecology & Evolution 5, 144-145. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-02001368-x

131

Incentivizing Reuse Culture in Metro Vancouver
through a Mobile App Program
Angelica Tso
Advisor: Leslie Lavkulich
Global Resource Systems, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, The University of British Columbia

Modern day convenience culture remains one of the largest drivers of society’s reliance
upon single-use items — a phenomena that exacerbates the growing negative socioenvironmental impacts of waste. From coffee cups, to utensils, to takeout boxes, society’s
tolerance for disposable goods within the food and beverage industry has been increasing
especially with the growing market for takeout and delivery services worldwide（Li et al.,2020）
. This project focuses on the issue of disposable cup waste in Vancouver, British
Columbia.
Every week, Vancouver throws out an average 2.6 million disposable cups（Standing
Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities, 2018）. Despite the fact that disposable cups are
accepted within the City of Vancouver’s recycling program （City of Vancouver, n.d.）, theeffectiveness of recycling remains much lower than what most people believe. On one hand,because paper coffee cups are difficult to recycle as the inner waterproof polyethylene（plastic）
coating cannot be easily separated（Mitchell et al., 2014）, less than 1% of all paper coffee cups
are ever recycled worldwide（Triantafillopoulos & Koukoulas, 2020）. On the other hand, only
9% of Canada’s plastic waste is recycled annually which indicates that plastic cup recycling is
likewise insufficient（Environment and Climate Change Canada, 2020）. Despite the growing
prominence of greener alternatives such as compostable polylactic cups, these are in fact
rejected by both the City of Vancouver’s green bin compost system and its recycling system（City of Vancouver, n.d.）. Hence, not only do current solutions fail to tackle the root cause ofsociety’s throwaway mindset, but they also have the potential of exacerbating our tolerance for
disposability under the false narrative that recycling or greener disposables can sufficiently
address our waste issue.
On a macro level, the disposable cup issue is a symptom of society’s throwaway culturethat values personal convenience at the expense of negative socio-environmental externalities
caused by a fundamental disconnect between people and the natural ecosystem. Hence, what
our project addressed was the root cause of our convenience-centric social norms by promoting
behavior change. By creating a program that encourages consumers to bring their own cups
when buying to-go drinks, we hoped to institutionalize and incentivize reuse culture in a waythat fosters environmentally conscious habit formation and one that sheds light on theintersectionality between the environmental, social, and economic aspects of our existing
disposable culture.
Our project—BYO（Bring Your Own）—is a mobile app-based program that motivates
individuals to bring their own cup through a variety of mechanisms such as rewards and132

impact tracking. In addition to incentivizing a bring your own cup behavior, a portion of theusual cup discount will be allocated towards a tree planting initiative. By incorporating tree
planting, we sought to extend our impact beyond mitigating cup waste — encouraging
customers and cafes alike to think bigger while sparking conversations around the larger
collective role of consumer practices. The project is a unique combination of cup waste
reduction, rewards, tree planting, and community building.
We also hope to leverage BYO as a platform to empower local communities andeconomies. Locally, consumers will benefit from having access to a compiled network of “bringyour own cup” friendly cafes as well as local sustainable businesses and organizations throughthe rewards portion of our app. Likewise, cafes and reward partners will also be positively
impacted by attracting a growing group of eco-conscious consumers, promoting specialty
products in the app’s reward library, and gaining recognition for their sustainability efforts. By
participating in this program, consumers and cafes are also collectively empoweringcommunities overseas. To do so as a part of our tree planting initiative, we are exploring
partnering with Eden Reforestation and we envision our program to positively impact
communities abroad by supporting tree planting employment.
Alongside these impacts, BYO is using our online platforms as an educational tool to raiseawareness around reuse culture, consumerism, and sustainability. A study on ways toencourage environmentally friendly behavior surrounding takeout cup usage revealed thatstrong environmental messaging and awareness raised through documentaries contributed
more to creating lasting behavior change, than monetary incentives, such as surcharges ordiscounts（Sandhu et al., 2021）. Hence, BYO can leverage our social media as an educational
platform to complement our mission in evoking changes in consumer behavior that extend
beyond saving cups. By highlighting the broader intersectionality between our actions and its
effects on our surroundings, our goal is to inspire individuals to consider the wider socioenvironmental impacts of our existing systems.
The project has been in development for almost one year. Our team consists of students
from the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University from various academic
backgrounds—environmental studies, business, computer science, and visual design—working
collectively on BYO’s operations and app development. Currently, BYO is undergoing its beta
testing phase with an early iteration of the mobile app and 2 pilot cafe partners in Vancouver.
This phase allows us to better understand consumer behavior and how our project can best
facilitate the adoption of personal reusables. In the following months, we hope to secure morecafe partners, several reward partners, and continue on improving our program to foster aneven larger impact on our communities.
We are currently exploring various options to sustain BYO’s work including various
business models and ideas. Upon a successful pilot program, we hope to continue expanding the
BYO program as a social enterprise. Ultimately, our goal with BYO is twofold: to reduce cup
waste and to inspire long-term behavioral changes in consumer attitudes. By having
participants actively engage in a reuse culture, we seek to normalize an alternative to thecurrent status quo of wasteful consumption—concretizing environmentally conscious habits that133

participants can carry forward with in other aspects of their lives within their communities.
References
City of Vancouver.（n.d.）.Waste and recycling. Waste disposal and recycling. https://vancouver.
ca/home-property-development/waste-disposal-and-recycling.aspx
Environment and Climate Change Canada.（2020）. Toward zero plastic waste. Government of
Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/managingreducing-waste/zero-plastic-waste.html
Li, C., Mirosa, M., & Bremer, P.（2020）. Review of online food delivery platforms and theirimpacts on sustainability. Sustainability, 12（ 14）, 5528. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/
su12145528
Mitchell, J., Vandeperre, L., Dvorak, R., Kosior, E., Tarverdi, K., & Cheeseman, C. （2014）.
Recycling disposable cups into paper plastic composites. Waste Management, 34（11）, 21132119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2014.05.020
Sandhu, S., Lodhia, S., Potts, A., & Crocker, R.（2021）.Environment friendly takeaway coffee cup
use: Individual and institutional enablers and barriers. Journal of Cleaner Production, 291,
125271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125271
Standing Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities.（2018）.（rep.）.Single-use Item Reduction
Strategy 2018-2025. Vancouver City Council. Retrieved from https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/
single-use-item-reduction-strategy-with-amendments.pdf
Triantafillopoulos, N., & Koukoulas, A. A.（2020）. The future of single-use paper coffee cups:
Current progress and outlook. BioResources, 15（3）, 7260-7287. Agricultural & Environmental
Science Collection; Publicly Available Content Database. https://doi.org/10.15376/
biores.15.3.Triantafillopoulos

134Soil Organic Carbon（SOC）Importance and its influenceon Climate Change: an approach new mitigation method
Arostegui, Keiji
Advisor: Prof. Dr. Mihara Machito
Tokyo University of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Engineering,
Laboratory of Land and Water Use Engineering

Soil organic carbon（SOC）has an important role as a key indicator for soil health due toits contributions on mitigation and adaptation to climate change（Pribyl, 2010）. Tropical areas
such as Amazon represents the highest amount of soil carbon sources on earth. Although it isaffected by human impacts due to deforestation, it is important to maintain and increase SOC oftropical toward an optimal level for meeting challenges such as mitigating climate change
effects.
The aim of this study is to analyze the stabilization of soil organic carbon under different
conditions of temperature in soil. As part of the methodology, Red-yellow soil was identified andcollected from forested areas, following the sampling method of Carter and Gregorich（2008）.
Air-dried soil was sieve and weighed. Biochar was applied at the rates of 0%（control）and 5%
on the dried soil weight under ambient（25℃）and warm（35℃）conditions. In order to analyze
the effects of the temperature, the soil respiration ratio（SRR）was measured as well as SOC
content by spectrophotometry method（Wallinga et al., 1992）for 150 days.
The experimental results showed that temperature had a significant effect on the soilorganic carbon content. In the period of study, the warm conditions resulted in higher values of
microbial activity and decomposition rate（Lloyd & Taylor, 1994）. The Figure 1.A shows thegradual decrease of the carbon amount at ambient and warm conditions, while the Figure 1.B
shows a slight decrease of the carbon values where the action of biochar has an important
effect on the stabilization and reduction of carbon decomposition. Woolf et al.（2010）, described
the stabilization of soil carbon by the addition of biochar, which absorb of gases produced by
microorganism activity. The action of biochar seems to be an important tool for recover the soil
carbon conditions in the short-term.
Additionally, values of soil respiration rate were considerable reduced in the first month.
The inputs of Carbon impact directly on the respiration and decomposition process. Thus,
biochar works as carbon sources to maintain and increase SOC content, yet stabilization effects
on Soil Respiration Ratio（SRR）should be observed in long term.
To sum up, soil organic carbon（SOC）has an important role as a key indicator for soil
health due to its contributions on mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Although it isaffected by human impacts due to deforestation, it is important to maintain and increase SOC
toward an optimal level for meeting challenges such as mitigating climate change effects. In thisway, the application of biochar not only provide benefits for plants, but also fulfils a role ofmaintaining SOC content towards the optimal level for the environment, contributing to135

Additionally, values of soil respiration rate were considerable reduced in the firstmonth. The inputs of Carbon impact directly on the respiration and decomposition process.
Thus, biochar works as carbon sources to maintain and increase SOC content, yetstabilization effects on Soil Respiration Ratio (SRR) should be observed in long term.
12

A

Ambient

Organic Carbon (mg/g)

10

8

6

4

2

Warm

B

Ambient

10

Organic Carbon (mg/g)

12

Warm

8

6

4

0

30

60

90

120

150

2
0

Days

30

60

90

120

150

Days

Fig 1. E
ffecttemperature
on soil organic
amountthe short-term
Fig
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Effectof temperature
on soilcarbon
organic
carboninamountwith application of 0%（A）and 5%（B）biochar（w/w）.

in the short-term with application of 0% (A) and 5% (B) biochar (w/w).

achieving
the soil
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For futures
biocharand soil organic
be studiedon
To sum up,organic
carbonresearch,(SOC) has
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year.
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increase SOC toward an optimal level for meeting challenges such as mitigating climatechange effects. In this way, the application of biochar not only provide benefits for plants,
References
but also fulfils a role of maintaining SOC content towards the optimal level for the
Carter, M. & Gregorich, E.（2008）. Soil Sampling and Methods of Analysis. 2nd ed. Pinawa,
environment,
contributing
achieving
the SDG’s. For futures research, biochar and soil
Manitoba: CanadianSocietytoSoil
Sci., pp.33-37
organic
carbonmust
be studied
the middle-termin orderto respiration.
analyze thedifferent
Lloyd,J. &Taylor,J.（1994）. On theontemperaturedependenceof soil
Funct.
Ecol.
pp.315-323.
seasons and variation of temperature in the year. Finally, this research is fulfil the gaps ofPribyl,D.W. （2010）. Awhichcriticalcontributereview ofonthe
conventional
to SOMand
conversion
factor.
informationof SOC,newmethods ofSOC
restoration
mitigationof
Geoderma 156（3）,75-83.
climate change.

Walinga, I., Kithome, M., Novozamsky, I., Houba, V. & van der Lee J. J.（1992）Spectrophoto­
metric determination of organic carbon in soil. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal., 23:15-16, 1935References
1944.
Woolf, D., Amonette, J.E., Street-Perrott, F.A., Lehmann, J. & Joseph, S.（2010）. SustainablebiocharM.
to &mitigate
global E.
climatechange.
Commun.
56.
Carter,Gregorich,(2008).
SoilNat.
Sampling
and1, Methodsof Analysis. 2nd ed.

Pinawa, Manitoba: Canadian Society Soil Sci., pp.33-37
Lloyd, J. & Taylor, J. (1994). On the temperature dependence of soil respiration. Funct.
Ecol. pp.315-323.

136

Group K
Group theme

Agriculture
Presenters:

Bethanie Haase, Western Sydney University, Australia
Kim Kufazvineyi, Unilasalle
Irene Akinyi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
Dematagolle Wedaralalage Ovin Jetha Amaratunga, University of Peradeniya
Chairpersons:

Rival Valcin, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Mozelle Millenas Ramos, Tokyo University of Agriculture

137

Protected Cropping in Australia

Emerging Technologies in Novel Environments
Bethanie Haase
Advisor: Zhonghua Chen
Bachelor of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security, School of Science,
Western Sydney University, Australia

Globally, we have transformed nearly one third of the Earth’s land surface into
agricultural landscapes（Leff et al., 2004）whilst utilising about 70% of available fresh water（OECD） and impacting ocean and fresh water sources through eutrophication （Ritchie &Roser, 2011）. In Australia, over 55% of land use is allocated to agricultural practices, and 25% of
potable water extractions are for agricultural purposes［Australian Bureau of Agricultural andResource Economics and Sciences（ABARES）, 2021］. Large scale monoculture systems and a
global food chain which focuses on mass production of a small subset of products places strain
on the natural resources of the Earth and increases the risk of food insecurity（HLPE, 2016）.
Diversifying food production and cropping methods is important not only in achieving foodsecurity across the globe, it is also essential in ensuring adequate nutrition and healthy livingfor people everywhere（Storkey et al., 2019）. Developing effective methods of food production
which focus on reduced water consumption and land use could well be a key driver in the
future sustainability of food production.
Agriculture in Australia is a significant industry producing highly prized consumer
commodities for a national and international market generating employment opportunities andstrengthening the economies of many regional communities across the country（Hadley, 2017）.
Although known for some of the oldest and most depleted natural soils in the world, traditional
methods of agriculture in Australia have leveraged limited areas of nutrient-rich earth whichhave provided the basis for large-scale cropping and livestock production（Johns, 2015）. The
climatic variation which occurs across the continent has also provided unique opportunities tocapitalise on both temperate and tropical produces （Williams et al., 2002）. As the global
population continues to grow, countries such as Australia are under increasing pressure toensure an increasing supply of sustainably sourced food to a domestic and international market.
Protected cropping is Australia’s fastest-growing agricultural sector, with an estimated
30% of farms using this suite of technology（Protected Cropping Australia, 2019）. Protected
cropping encompasses a range of different structures and technologies ranging from basic polytunnels with no or low technical input to fully enclosed controlled environments constructed ofglass and steel with innovative and advanced technologies applied to nearly every feature（Castilla, 2013; Rabbi et al., 2019）. Fruit and vegetable exports currently account for less than
7% of Australia’s overall agricultural export, however this figure is expected to increase withgrowing demands from international importers, particularly with an increasing interest from
Asian and Middle-Eastern markets （AusVeg, 2018）. Production increase will generate138additional employment and trade revenue, however this production increase will need to be met
in a changing climate, and in a time where it is essential that we achieve efficient use ofresources and a reduction in emissions and other environmental pollutants.
Low and medium technology protected cropping systems such as netting, shade houseand poly-tunnels provide relative levels of protection from external factors such as temperature,
frost, wind, and pests. High-tech greenhouse（or glasshouse）systems provide not only physicalprotection to plants and produce, they facilitate controlled atmospheric conditions, water andnutrient output and recapture, and can yield 5-10 times more than field cropping per unit ofarea with（Rabbi et al., 2019）. Sustainable energy solutions such as solar power, novel covermaterials and cooling systems, can be easily incorporated into the function of high-techgreenhouses, and warrants additional research to ensure the highest possible level of energy
efficiency is achieved （Chavan et al., 2020; Samaranayake et al., 2020; Zhao et al., 2021）.
Investing in high-end greenhouse technology research and adoption will position Australia as aworld leader in sustainable, environmentally conscious primary industry production methods
capable of contributing to world food security in a meaningful way. In fact, the exportablebenefits do not end there; in addition to direct export of agricultural commodities, an uplift inresearch and education in the field of high-tech greenhouse would serve to strengthen
Australia’s Education sector, another significant contributor to Australia’s export economy.
Australia’s geographic location and highly developed economy creates an excellent
opportunity to be early adopters of high-tech agricultural methods in the Southern Hemispherewith a strong network of Government and Industry support bodies. This can naturally alignwith the education sector, and result in high quality education products through collaboration
with great appeal to an international market. Expanding a non-traditional agricultural practicehas challenges, including engaging a new generation of farmers wanting to embrace innovationand technology which is at odds with the current demographic of Australian farmers, theaverage age of whom is 52 years old（ABARES, 2018）. Engaging new-generation agriculturalscience students in protected cropping in Australia will support the development of sustainable
growing practices, enrich education domestically and internationally, and provide insights into amethod of agricultural production which is traditionally set in markedly different climatic
regions.
Located on the Hawkesbury Campus of Western Sydney University, in partnership withHorticulture Innovation Australia and Wageningen University, is a world-class greenhousefacility with a strong focus on research and teaching. The greenhouse provides unprecedented
temperature, humidity, CO2 and light control, and has facilitated the ongoing research ofprotected cropping in arid and dry-land conditions not traditionally associated with greenhousecrop production. Both undergraduate and post-graduate students alongside academic
professionals in agricultural science are provided with the space and resources to conduct
learning and research activities including growth, produce volume and quality comparisons,pollination techniques and light-wave manipulation and control in a unique context meaningful
to the Australian environment. These activities also engage industry and community partners
in advanced protected cropping in diverse locations and settings. It is the hope that through139

increased dialogue and peer engagement between current and emerging students, industry, andcommunity partners that attention on protected cropping research can increase and ultimately
work to support sustainable food production for our worlds future.
References
Ausveg 2019, Demand for fresh Aussie veggies continues to rise, AusVeg Media Release, 21
November 2019
Binks, B, Stenekes, N, Kruger, H & Kancans R 2018, Snapshot of Australia’s Agricultural
Workforce, ABARES
Castilla, N 2013, Greenbouse Technology & Management, 2nd edn, CAB International, Boston
USA.
Chavan SG, Maier C, Alagoz Y, Filipe JC, Warren CR, Lin H, Jia B, Loik ME, Cazzonelli CI,
Chen ZH, Ghannoum O. Light － limited photosynthesis under energy － saving film decreases
eggplant yield. Food and Energy Security. 2020 9（4）:e245.
HLPE 2016, ‘Sustainable agricultural development for food security and nutrition: what roles forlivestock?’ A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of theCommittee on World Food Security, Rome, FAO
Johns, C 2015, ‘The State of Australia’s Soils’, Independent Strategic Analysis of Australia’s
Global Interests, Future Directions InternationalLeff, B, Ramankutty, N, & Foley, JA 2004, ‘Geographic distribution of major crops across theworld’, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, vol. 18, no. 1,
OECD, n.d., ‘Water and agriculture’ （https://www.oecd.org/agriculture/topics/water-andagriculture）
PCA 2019, Industry Value, Protected Cropping Australia
Rabbi, B, Chen, ZH & Sethuvenkatraman, S 2019, ‘Protected Cropping in Warm Climates: A
Review of Humidity Control and Cooling Methods’, Energies, vol. 12, no. 14
Ritchie, H & Roser, M 2020, ‘Environmental Impacts of Food Production’, Our World In Data,
Samaranayake P, Liang W, Chen ZH, Tissue D, Lan YC. Sustainable Protected Cropping: A
Case Study of Seasonal Impacts on Greenhouse Energy Consumption during Capsicum
Production. Energies. 2020 13（17）:4468.
Storkey, J, Bruce, TJA, McMillan, VE & Neve, P 2019, ‘Chapter 12 - The Future of Sustainable
Crop Protection Relies on Increased Diversity of Cropping Systems and Landscapes’,
Agroecosystem Diversity, Academic Press, pp. 199-209,
Williams, J, Hook RA & Hamblin A 2001, Agro-ecological Regions of Australia: Methodologies
for Their Derivation and Key Issues in Resource Management, CSIRO Land and Water,
viewed 12 June 2021
Zhao C, Chavan S, He X, Zhou M, Cazzonelli CI, Chen ZH, Tissue DT, Ghannoum O. Smartglass impacts stomatal sensitivity of greenhouse Capsicum through altered light. Journal of
Experimental Botany. 2021 72（8）:3235-3248.

140

INCREASE OF DROUGHT TOLERANCE IN MAIZE
THROUGH THE USE OF GENETIC MODIFICATIONUSING SbABI5 FROM SORGHUM
KIM KUFAZVINEYIAdvisor: Mr Christophe Gangneux
UNILASALLEInternational Sustainable Agribusiness and Food Engineering

According to the United Nations World Food Programme nearly 5.3 million people face
food insecurity in Zimbabwe due to poor rains and unpredictable climate change.（USAID,
2021） This results in undernourishment and even death, as Zimbabwe is an agriculturalcountry whose economy solely depends on rain fed agricultural production. Orphan crops suchas rapoko, millet and sorghum are some of the few crops that thrive in arid regions ofZimbabwe, unfortunately their yield is very low as their grains are too small to provide anabundant food source and sustain the entire population. It also results in a restricted diet that iscentred on starch only. This poses a threat because people will be deprived of basic nutrientssuch as proteins and vitamins, resulting in deficiency diseases such as kwashiorkor, scurvy,
rickets, beri beri and pellagra. The 2018/19 season experienced delay in rainfall due to the EL
NINO phenomenon（Jeffrey, 2019）, which is the warming of sea currents off the coast causing
below normal rain patterns and above normal temperatures which ultimately result in drought.
Such Conditions. cause severe hunger and malnourishment and when farmers are not equipped
to deal with such conditions its results in devastating effects. As a country Zimbabwe cannot besolely dependent on aid from non-government organisations for food as it is not sustainable. We
looked at the case that was reported by Africa News（Dzirutwe, 2021）. Most villagers from
Mafomoti village trek for 100 kilometres to the South African boarder in search of food. This
spike in cases of hunger has also led to a significant number of children having to drop out ofschool due to lack of food and energy. We can see here the problem that this community isfacing in regards to hunger what can be done to stop it?
The aim of this work was to increase drought tolerance of crops through an increased
production of abscisic acid. This can be achieved by two methods: increasing the level ofexpression of the gene responsible for the production of abscisic acid in host plants or by theaddition of a more efficient one like the SbAB15 gene from sorghum.
Abscisic acid is a stress relief hormone that is produced by plants in extreme conditions
such as drought. This hormone helps to survive by increasing the plant’s stomatal conductivity.
When the plant is in low water conditions the stomata will partially close allowing minimal
water loss（Basu & Rabara, 2017）. This mechanism can retain 56% of water that would havebeen lost by transpiration. Abscisic acid is produced by most drought tolerant crops such assorghum. For this plant, this hormone is produced by a multi-step process including the
SbAB15 gene（Rodríguez et al., 2009）.
141

By extracting（SbAB15）from sorghum Genome and insert this gene in other plants, they
may survive under arid conditions. Abscisic acid works in such a way that there is an efflux ofanions and potassium via guard cell plasma membrane ion channels, resulting in decrease of
turgor pressure in guard cells and hence stomatal closure when there is high environmental
stress（Vishwakarma et al., 2017）. The gene can be extracted and applied using the following
technique. After DNA extraction from sorghum, the gene is isolated by PCR before inserting it
in a vector suitable for Agrobacterium tumefasciens transformation. This construct is thentransferred into A. tumefasciens that will act as a carrier for the gene. This bacteria is thenused to infect the desired crop（maize for example）. We then perform multiple experiments tocultivate the crop in arid conditions and normal conditions to see if the transfer has beensuccessful by the plants. Abscisic acid can also be monitored by direct extraction in plantleaves under the different conditions.
This project would be beneficial to society because it would help to solve the problem offood insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa particularly in Zimbabwe. The goal of zero hunger would
be achieved by the increase in agricultural yield due to increase in drought tolerance in plants.
This project could also lead to a diversified diet in areas where only a small selection of crops
can grow due to drought as there will be more a wider variety of drought resistant crops. This
will help lessen malnourishment because a diversified diet is more nutritious. This is far moresustainable as people in the Zimbabwean community will be able to independently be able toproduce food and boost their economy at the same time
This project however does have its own limitations, socially, economically andenvironmentally. Socially the issue of stigma around the production and consumption of
Genetically modified organisms can cause major conflicts and people may be hesitant to
consume such food products. Environmentally genetically modified products might disturb thenatural ecosystem due to crop invasiveness. Pollen from genetically modified plants may also
contaminate organic products, hence their products get rejected on the market and might lose
their certification. However methods are available to minimize and monitor these risks.
Finally, the difficulties in promoting this project would mostly be the funding of the project
as it is a hefty project that requires a well-equipped laboratory and experts in plantbiotechnology.
References
Basu, S., & Rabara, R.（2017）.Abscisic acid — An enigma in the abiotic stress tolerance of crop
plants. Plant Gene, 11, 90-98. https://www.doi:10.1016/j.plgene.2017.04.008
Dzirutwe, M.（2021）. Zimbabwean farmers fear the worst as cattle, crops succumb to drought.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-africa-drought-zimbabwe-idUSKCN0V426O
Jeffrey, G.（2019, Novemver 11）. Zimbabwe: New Model Predicts El Nino One Year Ahead.
https://allafrica.com/stories/201911110571.html
Rodríguez, M., Mendiondo, G., Maskin, L., Gudesblat, G., Iusem, N., & Benech-Arnold, R.（2009）.
Expression of ABA signalling genes and ABI5 protein levels in imbibed Sorghum bicolor
caryopses with contrasting dormancy and at different developmental stages. Annals of
Botany, 104（5）,975-985. https://www.doi:10.1093/aob/mcp184
142

USAID, 2021. Food Security － Zimbabwe. https://www.usaid.gov/zimbabwe/agriculture-andfood-security
Vishwakarma, K., Upadhyay, N., Kumar, N., Yadav, G., Singh, J., & Mishra, R. et al.（2017）.
Abscisic Acid Signaling and Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants: A Review on Current
Knowledge and Future Prospects. Frontiers in Plant Science https://www.frontiersin.org/
articles/10.3389/fpls.2017.00161/full143Quality Improvement of Cocopeat as a Propagation Media
through Composting as a Desalinization Procedure
Irene Akinyi
Advisors: Dr. Catherine Ngamau and Dr. Annah Indeche
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology,
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, School of Agriculture and Environmental Science,
Department of Horticulture and Food Security

Population sizes in Kenya have lately increased which has resulted in reduced production
land. In contrast to the fact that less land is left for cultivation i.e., soil availability is reduced;
more food is required to feed the large population. This situation has brought about theimportance of finding alternative soilless media for use. Media that have been identified for
propagation and that can be used as alternatives for soil include; sphagnum moss, cocopeat, andperlite. Cocopeat is one of the best and the most used soilless media that has been identified
and that is used in Kenya. Cocopeat is an agricultural by-product obtained after the extractionof fiber from coconut husk. It can be reused for up to 5 years, it is cheap, easily available andfree from pathogenic microorganisms’. As a propagation media cocopeat encourages rooting
system, provides good anchorage to the rooting system, has an excellent water and nutrient
capacity for the seedlings, and lastly it has suitable aeration conditions（Kumarasinghe et al.,2016）
. The results of many experiments revealed that cocopeat used alone or as a component ofsoil medium is suitable for roses（Blom 1997）, gerbera（Labeke and Dambre, 1998）, many
potted plants（De Kreij and Leeuven 2001）,and also for vegetables. However, due to high initiallevels of potassium and sodium in the cocopeat, treatment programs should be carefully
adjusted to plant requirements.
Despite the good characteristic of cocopeat several factors have been reported to affectits quality of cocopeat. For example, the air capacity and water retention can be easily affectedby processing and handling techniques. Cocopeat has been reported to have a high C: N ratio of
112:1（Ilahi et al., 2017）. The composition and attributes of cocopeat vary depending on thematurity of the coconut, extraction method and disposal, the period between extraction and use,and environmental factors. Agricultural market information and feedback insights have
however shown that farmers who plant directly into the bought cocopeat attain low
germination percentages. Studies show that this problem is a result of high salt levels which
are toxic to seeds and plant life generally. It is therefore very important to monitor pH and EC
values. High salinity levels in the cocopeat have been a hindrance to high seedling production
and vegetative propagations. This problem has negative effects and it affects the farmer’s
productivity and stands out as an indirect reason for food insecurity. This defect can becorrected by the removal of excess salt in the media（Jeyaseeli et al. 2010）.
Some of the suggested methods of removing excess salts（desalinization）in cocopeat
include leaching, buffering, aging, or composting. However, there is limited information on the144

optimal desalinization method that can be adopted by famers for effective plant propagation in
the nursery. Hence this project. My aim is to find the best desalinization procedure that can
improve the value of cocopeat. Currently a team of 5 other youths and I are analyzing thephysical and chemical properties of cocopeat subjected to different desalinization procedures. It
is hypothesized that different desalinization methods affect both the physical and chemical
properties of cocopeat. The team and I are much focused on composting methodologies ofcocopeat for better results. The procedures and the activities of the project have economic andenvironmental implications.
Composting is a better option compared to washing and buffering procedures（conventionally used methods）. Buffering is expensive and therefore unaffordable by small-scale
farmers. Washing seems an easy and quick solution but it is laborious and an environmental
pollution source. A lot of water is needed to leach away salts from the cocopeat and the salt
discharge interferes with the soil health and structure. Water is scarce and getting a lot of it
that could be enough to desalinize cocopeat would be a big challenge. Composting is a way of
increasing organic matter thus a positive impact on the environment. Composting isenvironmentally friendly, utilizes locally available resources, and is a sustainable method.
Composting is more beneficial as it also reduces the C: N ratio apart from the EC. A C: N ratioof 24:1 is the expected value of a composted cocopeat. It takes 60 days to fully decompose thecocopeat. The cocopeat is disintegrated and broken down to fine organic compound which is
profound in a propagating substrate. Mushroom Pleurotus is the fungus used to break down
lignin in cocopeat to improve the digestibility of dry matter and organic cocopeat ingredients.
Once the best method is confirmed, promotion of desalinization processes will be
undertaken through participation in farmers’ field days, agricultural fairs, distribution ofextension materials such as brochures, and recoded videos that will be shared on social media
platforms such as You Tube and Facebook to reach a large audience. Development of these
extension materials will have a cost implication that is a foreseen challenge that requireresource mobilization strategies. Stakeholders will be encouraged to partner will this team toensure that small-scale farmers and propagators are made aware of the findings of theseproject.
REFERENCES
Bernstein, L. （1975）. Effects of salinity and sodicity on plant growth. Annual review ofphytopathology, 13（1）,295-312
Blom, T. J.（1997, May）. Coco coir versus granulated rockwool and’arching’versus traditional
harvesting of roses in a recirculating system. In International Symposium on Growing Mediaand Hydroponics 481（pp. 503-510）.
De Kreij, C., & Van Leeuwen, G. J. L.（2001）. Growth of pot plants in treated coir dust ascompared to peat. Communications in soil science and plant analysis, 32（13-14）,2255-2265.
Ilahi, W. F. F., & Ahmad, D.（2017）. A study on the physical and hydraulic characteristics of
cocopeat perlite mixture as a growing media in containerized plant production. Sains Malays,
46（6）, 975-980.
Jeyaseeli, D. M., & Raj, S. P.（2010）. Chemical characteristics of coir pith as a function of its
145

particle size to be used as soilless medium. The Ecoscsan, 4（2&3）,163-169.
Kumarasinghe, H. K. M. S., Subasinghe, S., & Ransimala, D.（2016）. Effect of coco peat particle
size for the optimum growth of nursery plant of greenhouse vegetables. Tropical
Agricultural Research and Extension, 18（1）.
Van Labeke, M. C., & Dambre, P. （1993, November）. Gerbera cultivation on coir withrecirculation of the nutrient solution: a comparison with Rockwool culture. In International
Symposium on Water Quality & Quantity-Greenhouse 458（pp. 357-362）.

146

Changing the Existing Social Identityof a Farming Community to Sustain Their Lives
Dematagolle Wedaralalage Ovin Jetha Amaratunga
Advisor: Prof. Sarath S. Kodithuwakku
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka

Introduction
Agriculture is the most important sector of the Sri Lankan economy, even though it only
contributes to 7% of the national GDP in 2019. Moreover, approximately 2.14 million of theworkforces, which accounts for 25.3% of the total employed population, are engaged in the
agriculture sector, including fisheries and forestry, in 2019（Central Bank of Sri Lanka, 2020）.
However, the agricultural sector, which once contributed to more than half of the national GDP,is now facing several challenges due to the recent Covid-19 pandemic and other various
problems. These challenges, limitations and uncertainties in the sector caused disappointment
forcing the farmers, especially younger farmers, away from agriculture. However, the sector ishighly vital in providing food, raw materials and other various goods and services, including
ecosystem services. Therefore, we cannot simply neglect the agricultural sector. Consequently,
there is an urgent need for a more sustainable and holistic approach to supporting workers inthis sector.
Methodology
Agricultural undergraduates of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya,
engage in a farm practice course in the first year, the first semester of their study programme
at Sub-campus, Mahailuppallama, Anuradhapura, North Central province, Sri Lanka. During 6-8
months of stay, students get practical exposure to dry zone farming and rural village setting.
Being a settlement under the Mahaweli irrigation scheme, most of the inhabitants are farmers.
They are resource-poor, small-scale farmers. During the stay at Mahailuppallama, students
associate with villages closely and identify their values, attitudes, behavioural patterns, andother critical cultural elements. The villages respect students as scholars and place them in ahigher position in their rural setting. So that’s the ideal point of turning an idea into a viable
project, apart from the academic studies using existing potentials. Being familiar with thefarmers who reside in Mahailuppallama, students, while learning from them, can significantly
impact their lives. The project can be initiate by focusing on Mahailuppallama, initiallytargeting 40 farming families with the volunteering of fellow batch mates.
During the stay at Mahailuppallama, students would closely associate with the Farmerorganization, Agrarian service center, Irrigation office, and other various governmental
agricultural stakeholders. Therefore, we can get the support and expertise of governmentorganizations to initiate and continue this project. At the same time, we can utilize ourtheoretical knowledge on practical grounds. Not only agriculture, but we can also exercise our147knowledge on Agricultural extension as well. As an author of this project, my responsibility is

the stay
Mahailuppallama,
students
closely
associatewith theparties
Farmerthe During
preparationof a atcompleteproject proposal
and would
grab theattentionof interested
toorganization,
Agrarian
service farmers,
center, Irrigation
office, groups
and othergovernmental
collaborate,
selectionof potential
create supportive
fromvarious
peers, setting
goals &

agricultural stakeholders. Therefore, we can get the support and expertise of governmentorganizations to initiate and continue this project. At the same time, we can utilize our
The project
intends
to enhance
the social
identityof farmers
certification
theoreticalknowledge
on practicalgrounds.
Not only
agriculture,butthroughwe can aalso
exerciseourknowledge
on
Agriculturalextension
as
well.
As
an
authorof
thisproject,
myprocess and connect them with a stable business platform to sell their produce. As a first step,
responsibility is the preparation of a complete project proposal and grab the attention of
the selected farmers will be presented with an opportunity to participate in a series of theinterested parties to collaborate, selection of potential farmers, create supportive groups fromextensioneducation
program,which
we willconductwith thecontinuous
help of academic
staff, otherpeers, setting
goals &
deadlines,
assigningtasks
and measureperformance.
deadlines, assigning tasks and measure continuous performance.

governmental agricultural stakeholders and volunteer batch mates. This project’s major areas

The project
intends
to enhance
the social new
identityof farmers
througha certificationof focusare properusage
of agrochemicals,
technology
transfer,training
on Good

process and connect them with a stable business platform to sell their produce. As a first step,
the selected farmers will be presented with an opportunity to participate in a series of thesustainable
farming practices.
the endtheconduct
project（approximately
months）, farmers
extension education
program,At
which
we of
will
with the help of four
academic
staff,
othergovernmental
agricultural
stakeholders
andvolunteerbatch
mates.
This
project's
major
areas
are provided with a certificate on Good Agricultural Practices（GAP）in collaboration with
theof focus are proper usage of agrochemicals, new technology transfer, training on Good
relevant government authorities. By doing that, we would gain experience on challenges that
Agricultural Practices (GAP), environmental and natural resource management, andone
would face
whenpractices.
attempting
to endchangetheproject
mindsetof farmers throughproblem-basedsustainable
farming
At theof the(approximately
four months),
farmers
are provided
with a thiscertificate
on Good
Agricultural(GAP)
in collaboration
withlearning.
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certification
processchangesPractices
the farmers’
mindsetas they areanthe relevant
authorities.
By doing
wouldgain experience
onagricultural
challenges
integralpartgovernmentof society whileallowing
us to that,lay wea solidfoundation
on ruralthat one would face when attempting to change the mindset of farmers through problempractices. So, the certification process changes their social identity from a neglected, povertybased learning. Therefore, this certification process changes the farmers' mindset as they arestricken,unempowered
citizen
to aallowing
respected,
citizenbuilding
motivation
an integral
part of society
while
us empoweredto lay a solid
foundation
oninternal
rural agricultural
practices.
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changestheirsocialfrom a neglected,
povertyto
keep engaging
agricultureprocessby adopting
GAP,
which
is identity
more environmentallyfriendlyandstricken, unempowered citizen to a respected, empowered citizen building internalsustainable. This certification process changes their career name as a GAP certified farmer,
motivation to keep engaging in agriculture by adopting GAP, which is more environmentallywhich
willandopensustainable.
up opportunities
them to tap
into nichemarkets.
a second
step,
will
friendlyThis forcertification
processchangestheirAscareernameas theya GAPcertifiedwhich
open upopportunities
for arethemcurrently
to tap into
nicheinitiatedmarkets.byAstheabelinked farmer,
up withGAPwillcertifiedsales
centers thatbeing
second
step,
they
will
be
linkedup
withGAP
certifiedsales
centersthatarecurrently
being
Department of Agriculture. As a third and final step, arrangements will also be made to link
initiated by the Department of Agriculture. As a third and final step, arrangements will also
thefarmers
withIndexedInsurance
provideda leadingbe madeto link
theanfarmers
withBased
an Indexed
BasedScheme
Insurance
Schemebyprovided
by insurance
a leadingcompany.
whole This
process
can process
be monitored
us for at byleast
6-monthduration
until
insurance This
company.
whole
can bebymonitoredusaforat least
a 6-month
duration
until
farmersgetfamiliarize
withtheprocess.
farmers get familiarize with the process.
Agricultural Practices （GAP）, environmental and natural resource management, andStep 1

Step 2

Step 3FarmerCertification
process

Link Them withpotential markets

Create job security

AnticipatedResults
Resultsand
andProblems
Problems
Anticipated

Securing the farming occupation creates intrinsic motivation among individual farmers to
Securing the farming occupation creates intrinsic motivation among individual farmers to
set a vision for their work. It will lead them to invest in agriculture (new technology), which

set a vision for their work. It will lead them to invest in agriculture（new technology）, which
will enhance productivity, efficient land use, and reduce post-harvesting losses while also
creating a sustainable agricultural production system. The insurance coverage compensates forfarmers’ losses due to adverse climatic conditions, epidemic losses, fire losses, and wildlife
damage. The combination of pension schemes and insurance policies creates job security andjob safety. Further, it provides accessibility to credit facilities that were restricted previously148due to a lack of stable income. The accessibility to credit facilities paves the way to acquire
productive assets, land, and/or machinery, which would create a rapid boost in the livelihood ofparticular farmers. Further, this concept will prevent the younger generations from stepping
down from agriculture due to very low levels of social protection, social recognition andunprofitability of Sri Lankan agriculture. The individual benefits for farmers in socio-economic
spheres pave the way to Economic and Social sustainability. The environmental consideration offormal and informal agricultural education systems paves the way to environmental
sustainability.
Even though the programme touches every component of sustainable agriculture, it would
be more challenging to get some government parties interested to implement this programme.
The government infrastructure, management, consultation and monitoring is essential forcarrying out this programme. Further, the attraction of older farming groups to implement thisproject is problematic due to their willingness to change and short-sighted view. Even though
they are obliged to follow certain rules and regulations to fulfil the certification requirements,
whether they would genuinely participate in the programme is uncertain. Implementing pilotscale projects with pre-recognized farmers and displaying their progress can be used as apromotional tool to attract more farmers and government bodies to implement this programme.
Conclusion
Considering the novelty of this concept and the possibility to contribute to many
Sustainable Development Goals（No Poverty, Quality Education, Decent Work and Economic
Growth, Reduced Inequalities）with the active participation of the farming community, this
could lead to a sustainable future.
References
Central Bank Sri Lanka. （2020） Economics and social statistics of Sri Lanka. Statistics
Department. 188 p. https://www.cbsl.gov.lk/sites/default/files/cbslweb_documents/
statistics/otherpub/ess_2020_e1.pdf
Edirisinghe, J. C. （2015）. Smallholder farmers’ household wealth and livelihood choices indeveloping countries: A Sri Lankan case study. Economic Analysis and Policy, 45, 33-38.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S031359261500003X

149

Group L
Group theme

Food

Presenters:

Alona Lebedko, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine
Rehema Erasto, Sokoine University of Agriculture
Joyline Cheptoo, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
Martijn Wals, Wageningen University
Iqra Amin, University of Reading
Chairpersons:Fredrick Mwaikenda Mussa, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Neo Kawana, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Assistant chairperson:

Saki Fujita, Tokyo University of Agriculture151

Competitiveness of Ukrainian agricultural products
Alona Lebedko
Advisor: Tetyana Kuts
National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine

The priority task of Ukraine’s agriculture is to ensure food security of the population.
Ukraine has a unique land potential, which while increasing the efficiency of its use, provides
opportunities for the export of agricultural products. Today, Ukraine is one of the world leadersin the export of sunflower oil, corn, barley, wheat, soybeans and chicken.
Given the further dynamic development of agricultural markets, a comprehensive studyof the competitiveness of production of both agricultural raw materials and products of its
processing is relevant.
The importance of scientific development of competitiveness is growing in the conditionsof open markets and active foreign economic activity in order to optimize the volume ofagricultural production, processing in Ukraine and exports（Kolesnik G., 2015）. At the sametime, when increasing production volumes, the agro-ecological consequences of modern
intensive business should be taken into account.
Studies of theoretical and practical developments of foreign and domestic experts haveestablished that the interpretation of the category of competitiveness of agricultural enterprises
is different.
As a result of research, we consider a comprehensive assessment of competitiveness as aset of four interrelated stages: analysis of market conditions, formation of competitivenesscriteria, determination of the level of competitiveness and development of proposals for its
improvement.
Competitiveness assessment is a dynamic process that has a certain cyclical nature and is
implemented taking into account the following principles: complexity, system, optimality,
information reliability and adequacy to environmental factors（Zhovnovach, R., 2011）.
In our opinion, the competitiveness of modern agricultural enterprises is the result of a
combination of the ability to effectively use its resource potential and the ability to respond in atimely manner to changes in the market and the external environment.
The global trend of ensuring the competitiveness of agricultural enterprises is based on
the intensification of production, improving product quality and optimizing costs throughout the
supply chain.
Improving the quality of agricultural products is a priority area of competitiveness, whichguarantees long-term competitive advantages for the producer and is the main criterion for the
consumer. The importance of the qualitative factor of competitiveness is growing in connection
with the expansion of the scope of innovative technologies in the production and processing ofagricultural products and the growth of environmental requirements for it.
The National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine is actively
152

developing cooperation between research centers of faculties and business representatives toimprove the quality of Ukrainian agricultural products. Namely, scientists are working to
improve the technical and technological support of agricultural production; develop resourcesaving technologies for growing, storage and processing of products; substantiate modern
approaches to carrying out agrotechnical measures; automation of business processes using
Internet technologies; implementation of quality control at all stages of production andmarketing.
Thus, today the competitiveness of agricultural enterprises should be based on theprinciples of innovation and investment model of development, which provides a combination ofeffective technical, technological and business solutions based on the achievements of scienceand technology at all levels of production and marketing.
The main directions of investment and innovation development of agricultural enterprises
include: the formation of favorable conditions for the development of product and technologicalinnovations through the creation of business incubators, including based on cooperation with
universities; allocation of state grants for resource-saving programs and nanotechnologies,
encouraging the transition to alternative energy sources; creation of technology platforms andtechnology parks, built on the principles of combining advanced ideas of science and business,exchange of experience both in the country and internationally; organization of a single centerfor service and monitoring of equipment, etc. To ensure competitiveness, it is necessary tofurther develop market infrastructure enterprises by introducing modern technologies of
exchange trade.
Overcoming the contradictions of the legislation in the field of safety and quality ofagricultural products is an integral part of measures to increase its competitiveness.
An important prerequisite for competitiveness remains the improvement of the financial
and credit policy of the industry, given the lack of free financial resources, tax burden andimbalance of product prices; it is necessary to provide a market mechanism for pricing andovercoming price disparities; search for effective tools for mobilizing financial resources fordevelopment; attraction of funds of strategic investors under the state guarantee for complex
re-equipment of the enterprises of agrarian branch; improvement of the taxation system, etc.
Understanding the competitive advantages of agricultural enterprises at the micro andmacro levels will be supplemented in the future, taking into account the consequences of theCovid-19 pandemic, as new types of goods and sales channels with active use of Internet
technologies are already being dynamically created on the market.
Kolesnik G.（2015）. Food security of Ukraine and especially its development. Socio-economic
problems of the modern period of Ukraine, 5（115）, 72-76. Retrieved from http://ird.gov.ua/
sep/sep20155(115)/sep20155(115)_072_KolisnykHM.pdf
Zhovnovach, R. （2011）. Theoretical and methodological approaches to the evaluation ofenterprise’s competitiveness. Scientific works of Kirovograd National Technical University.
Economic sciences, 1 9 , 1 0 6 - 1 1 4 . Retrieved from http://dspace.kntu.kr.ua/jspui/handle/123456789/93
153

Use of Bio-Fungicidal Extracts in Managing Seed-Borne Fungi
for Improved Maize Seed Germination in Morogoro, Tanzania
Rehema Erasto
Advisor: Dr. Kilasi Newton
Department of Crop Science and Horticulture, Sokoine University of Agriculture

Maize（Zea mays L.）is among the most important cereal crops grown in world to be usedas staple food for human, feed for livestock and raw material to biofuel and starch producing
industries（Rahman et al., 2008; FAOSTAT, 2014）. In Tanzania, production has significantly
increased over the past 2 years with average annual growth rate of 6.41%（Mtaki, 2019）.About
65-80% of total production is consumed within producing households while only 20-35% enter
the commercial channel（Wilson and Lewis, 2015）. Although production has recently increased,
productivity is still low.
Lower productivity of maize is attributed by several biotic and abiotic factors. Poor maize
seeds germination associated with seed deterioration caused by seed-borne fungi,（Mathur andKongsdal, 2003; Tsedaley, 2016） is the major problem for maize small holder farmers in
Morogoro （SAT, 2019）. Seed-borne fungi are capable of causing both qualitative andquantitative losses of maize（Gyasi et al., 2020）. Studies by Tulin and Askun（2006）in Turkey;
Niaz and Dawar（2009）in Ethiopia, reported Aspergillus spp, Rhizopus spp, Bipolaris maydis,
Fusarium spp, Cephalosporium spp, Helminthosporium spp, Mucor sp, Penicillium spp,
Curvularia spp and Drechslera carbonum to be the prevalent seed-borne fungi responsible formaize seeds deterioration. These pathogens not only cause seed deterioration, but can also
remain viable for long time to infect the germinating or emerging seedlings and later field
epidemics（Tsedaley, 2016）. About 40% of all maize diseases at seedling stage are caused byseed-borne fungi（Hussain et al. 2013）. Moreover, before harvest the pathogens can invade
more than 50% of maize grains and produces mycotoxins which contaminate the crop（Charity
et al., 2010）. These mycotoxins, （Aflatoxins produced by Aspergillus flavus and fumonisinsproduced by Fusarium verticillioides） are the foremost worry because can cause healthproblems to consumers（Madege et al., 2018）.
Farm-saving maize seeds for sowing in the following season is a common practice tosmallholder farmers in Morogoro.（SAT, 2019）. This facilitates perpetuation and multiplicationof fungi within the seeds and become a source of inoculum for new infection（Hubert et al.,2015）
. Management of seed-borne pathogens by seed treatment is an important approach to be
used. It reduces survival chances of the pathogen in/on maize seeds and its transmission tomaize crops（Niaz and Dawar, 2009）. Seed treatment using chemical fungicides has been acommon practice for a long time in Tanzania but also worldwide. The continuous use ofchemical fungicides regardless their efficiency and reliability, is limited to chemicals nonbiodegradability, rapid pathogen’s resistance development, cost, residual toxicity causing healthhazards and environmental pollution（Debnath et al., 2012; Perelló et al., 2013; Hubert et al.,154

2015）. Due to that, botanical extracts which are said to be useful, cost-effective, environmentallyfriendly, non-toxic to mammals, have very low or no residuals on plants and have fungicidal
properties, are suggested to be used as alternatives to chemical fungicides（Mbega et al., 2012;
Hubert et al., 2015）.
Since ancient time, botanical extracts have known to contain anti-microbial property（Lalitha et al., 2010）. Coffee, neem and ginger containing chlorogenic acid, triterpenoides（azadirachtin, nimbidine, nimbin nimonol, nimocinol and nimocinolide）and terpene compounds
respectively are the botanicals reported to have anti-fungal bioactivities. Most of these products
have been used to manage seed-borne diseases in-vitro（Mbega et al., 2012; Hubert et al., 2015）
and managing plant diseases under field condition. These bio-compounds are mostly found incoffee beans, neem plant parts（seeds, leaves）and in ginger rhizomes respectively（Gyasi et al.,2020）
. Generally, botanical extracts are becoming a promising source of agricultural chemicals
to manage seed-borne fungi and plant diseases.
This study was conducted to identify seed-borne fungi found in/on maize seeds, but also
to determine the efficacy of selected botanicals in managing seed-borne. Fusarium
verticillioides, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger while Penicillium spp, Rhizopus spp andCurvularia spp were the fungi detected from collected samples. In case of botanical extracts,
the study found that Neem, Ginger and Coffee have anti-fungal activity in managing seed-borne
fungi. Among those, Neem and Ginger found to have higher efficacy than coffee.
In general, this study will help maize growing farmers to use these botanical extracts inseed treatment. This will be of a big advantage to farmers using farmer-saved seeds. It will not
only help in improving seed germination and crop productivity, but also will reduce the chancesof mycotoxins production hence safeguarding health of maize consumers.
References
Charity, A., Amienyo, J. and Dauda, T. （2010）. Effect of relative humidity on spore
determination and growth of Aspergillus flavus. Nigerian Journal of Botany. 23（1）:1-6.
Debnath, M., Sultana, A. and Rashid, A.Q.M.B. （2012） Effect of seedborne fungi on thegerminating seeds and their bio-control in Maize. Journal of Environment, Science andNatural Resources 5（1）:117-120.
FAOSTAT, F. O. L.（2014）.Rome United Nations Food and Agriculture. Organization.
Gyasi, E., Kwoseh, C., and Moses, E.（2020）.Identification of seed-borne fungi of farmer-saved
seeds of pepper and their control with some selected botanicals. Ghana Journal of
Agricultural Science. 55（1）:43-53.
Hubert, J., Mabagala, R. B., and Mamiro, D. P.（2015）.Efficacy of selected plant extracts against
Pyricularia grisea, causal agent of rice blast disease. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 6:602-611.
Hussain, N., Hussain, A., Ishtiaq, M., Azam, S., and Hussain, T.（2013）. Pathogenicity of two
seed-borne fungi commonly involved in maize seeds of eight districts of Azad Jammu andKashmir, Pakistan. African Journal of Biotechnology, 12（12）.
Lalitha, V., Raveesha, K.A. and Kiran, B.（2010）Antimicrobial Activity of Solanum torvum
Swart. against Important Seed Borne Pathogens of Paddy. Iranica Journal of Energy andEnvironment, 1: 160-164.
155

Madege, R. R., Audenaert, K., Kimanya, M., Tiisekwa, B., De Meulenaer, B., Bekaert, B., andHaesaert, G.（2018）. Control of Fusarium verticillioides（Sacc.）Nirenberg and fumonisins byusing a combination of crop protection products and fertilization. Toxins. 10（2）:67.
Mathur, S.B. and Kongsdal, O.（2003）. Common Laboratory Seed Health Testing Methods for
Detecting Fungi. Published by International Seed Testing Association（ISTA）. Bassersdorf,CH., Switzerland. pp. 89.
Mbega, E. R., Mortensen, C. N., Mabagala, R. B., and Wulff, E. G.（2012）. The effect of plant
extracts as seed treatments to control bacterial leaf spot of tomato in Tanzania. Journal of
General Plant Pathology, 78（4）:277-286.
Mtaki, B.（2019）.United Republic of Tanzania. Grain and Feed Corn, Wheat and Rice Annual
Report.
Niaz, I., and Dawar, S.（2009）. Detection of seed borne mycoflora in maize（Zea mays L.）. Pak.
J. Bot. 4:（1）:443-451.
Perelló, A., Gruhlke, M., and Slusarenko, A. J. （2013）. Effect of garlic extract on seedgermination, seedling health, and vigour of pathogen-infested wheat. Journal of plant
protection research. 7.
Rahman, M. M. E., Ali, M. E., Ali, M. S., Rahman, M. M., and Islam, M. N.（2008）.Hot water
thermal treatment for controlling seed-borne mycoflora of maize. Int. J. Sustain. Crop Prod. 3（5）: 5-9.
SAT （2019）. Sixth Workshop for Participatory Research Design. ［https://kilimo.org/Word
Press/Sustainable-Agriculture-Tanzania sat/training/research/wprd/］ site visited on
21/09/2020.
Tsedaley, B.（2016）. Detection and identification of major storage fungal pathogens of maize（Zea mays L.） in Jimma, Southwestern Ethiopia. European Journal of Agriculture andForestry Research 4（2）:38-49.
Tulin, J.M. and D.I. Askun. 2006. Investigation of Fungal Species Diversity of Maize Kernels.
Journal of Biological Sciences. 6（2）:275-281.
Wilson, R. T., and Lewis, J.（2015）. The maize value chain in Tanzania. A report from theSouthern Highlands Food Systems Programme. Rome: FAO.

156

Effect of Different Processing Techniques on the BiochemicalComposition of Purple Tea（Camellia sinensis var. kitamura）
Joyline Cheptoo
Advisor: Prof. Nelson Kennedy Olang’o Ojijo
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology,
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, School of Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Department of Food Science and Technology

Tea（Camellia sinensis）history in Kenya is traced back to 1903 where G.W.L, Caine, aEuropean settler introduced the first seedlings from India and planted them in Limuru near
Nairobi（Tea Board of Kenya, 2010）. It is a traditional beverage which originated from China
and it is the oldest, most popular and non-alcoholic caffeine-containing beverage. Its infusion isprepared by brewing of processed leaves（Kumar and Shruthi, 2014）.It is grown as a perennial
monoculture and its processing methods play an important role in the biochemical changes
responsible for the beverage value. Tea cultivars are routinely characterized and classified on
the basis of their morpho-physiological traits, cytology, leaf biochemical traits and molecular
tools（Mishra et al., 2006）. The biochemical composition is affected by leaf maturity, variety,soil characteristics, climatic conditions and agronomic activities（Mae, 1997）. Colored teas haveantioxidants in the form of anthocyanins, total polyphenols, catechins and other natural
substances, these arrays of compounds have high antioxidant activity, and have been attributed
to unlimited health benefits（Ho et al., 2017）.The presence of these bioactive compounds in tea
has recently been considered to be of nutritional importance in the prevention of chronic
diseases, such as diabetes, inflammatory diseases, neurological disorders, and some types ofcancers（J.H Weinberger, Jan 2003; H.Mukhtar and N.Ahmad, June 2000）.
The most commonly consumed teas are black, green and oolong; all processed from theleaves（Anonymous, 2002）. The levels of phytochemicals, flavor, color and sensory ratings in
tea vary depending on the processing techniques（Yu et al., 2021）. Black CTC（cut, tear andcurl） method is the most conventional method of processing tea. In this process, tea ismacerated in a CTC machine and fermented for three hours before hot-air drying in fluidized
bed dryers（Xu et al., 2002）. New tea processing technologies have been introduced and others
re-introduced with the aim of improving processed tea quality and organoleptic ratings. Thesemethods include; aerated CTC, non-aerated CTC, oolong, aerated Orthodox, non-aerated
Orthodox, post-fermentation and yellow tea processing. Purple tea is analyzed for catechinusing High Performance Liquid Chromatography （ HPLC）, total polyphenols using
UV-spectrophotometer, and antioxidant activity using the the 2, 2 － diphenyl-1- Picrylhydrazyl（DPPH）assay.
Some challenges associated with tea processing include low quality tea whereby
farmers only specialize in production of bulk undifferentiated tea focusing on volume rather
than quality. Moreover, some of the tea biomolecules are lost during processing stages i.e.
maceration, fermentation and during firing where tea is subjected to high temperatures thus157

reducing its antioxidant capacity.
Extreme weather patterns associated with climate change such as drought and hightemperatures have adverse effects on tea production and the resulting leaf quality. Especially,leaf yield, purple pigmentation and anthocyanin content are hampered by climatic variations. In
addition, seasonal changes encourage pest infestation of the tea bushes leading to reduced leaf
yield and low-quality tea. The major pests and diseases affecting tea plantations are mites andArmillaria root rot. Moreover, most tea bushes in the plantations are old and past theirproductive stage. However, the cost of planting tea and tending to maturity is high anddiscourages farmers from adopting new productive varieties.
Tea production has detrimental environmental impacts due to clearance of land tocreate room for tea cultivation. This causes disruption of the natural ecological balance,
destruction of water catchment areas, reduced precipitation, and increases soil erosion leading
to pollution of water bodies majorly due to use of inorganic fertilizers and other chemicals suchas pesticides and herbicides which are washed off into the rivers and lakes by the rains.
Wildlife is also endangered due to destruction of their habitat. The use of wood fuel for firing
tea dryers results in environmental degradation. Eucalyptus trees are often planted as fuelwood stock for dryers; but these use up the water and result in drying up of the water
catchment areas.
To address some of these challenges, adoption of minimal processing techniques is being
encouraged to ensure most of the biomolecules contained in tea are retained in the final tea
products e.g. Orthodox tea which is processed through rolling has more biochemical and higher
antioxidant capacity as compared to CTC tea. Reducing the plucking cycles also helps to ensurehigh levels of biomolecules in the plucked tea. Farmers have also been encouraged to adopt
improved clones of tea which are of high quality, drought tolerant, resistant to pests anddiseases and to apply adequate amounts of manure and fertilizers to tea bushes. Control ofpests and diseases using biological methods is also encouraged to avoid use of chemicals which
pollute the environment. Farmers have been discouraged from cutting down trees and instead
to intensify the use of available land so as to conserve the environment and preserve
biodiversity. Farmers are being discouraged from planting eucalyptus trees which take upwater and result in drying up of water catchment areas and instead plant other varieties oftrees which enhance conservation of water catchment areas. Implementing wood fuel planting
and harvesting policies, factories have developed tree nurseries to provide trees to the farmers
at lower prices. The remediation efforts have contributed considerably to sustaining the tea
plantations and associated factories thus enhancing the wellbeing of the community throughincome obtained from sale of plucked leaves.
Purple tea fetches very high prices and has a wide market thus has the potential to
improve the economic status of the community through increased incomes. With the current
climatic conditions, purple tea variety is considered favorable in terms of productivity, health,market and resistance to drought and hailstones as a result of changing weather patterns. The
introduction of purple tea in the tea sector is one adaption mechanism to climate change thattea farmers should embrace in order to compete for current fluctuating market, quality,158

productivity as well as fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals（TRFK, 2013）.
Majority of personnel in the tea industry are the youth. The youth play a major role inscientific development of tea through undertaking research by adoption of information
technology to facilitate the research process on new cultivars which have high quality yields
and are resistant to drought and climatic changes; they also conduct pest and disease surveys
in order to reduce the risk of future pest and disease outbreaks in the tea farms and using
biological pests control methods to prevent infestation in the tea farms, they also advise
farmers on fertilizer application in the farms. They also take part in improving of quality andproduct diversification of tea products through value addition of tea and transfer the
information on developed tea technology and assess the impact on tea production. They are also
involved in planting of trees to conserve the environment and prevent global warming issues
because trees absorb greenhouse gases. The youth are motivated by the need to promoteagriculture, develop new cultivars resistant to drought and pests for sustainable agriculture,and value addition of tea in order to boost the tea sector.
Expansion and sustenance of food and agriculture can be done by running projects andprogrammes that address issues holding back the sustainability of purple tea cultivation
through partnering with the Ministry of Agriculture to provide regulatory, research and value
addition operations and promote and assist in the production of food and agricultural raw
materials for food security and incomes, the ministry also promotes advancement of agro-basedindustries and agricultural exports and sustainable use of land resources as basis for
agricultural ventures. Involvement of the stakeholders such as the Tea Board and KTDA
（Kenya Tea Development Agency）in order to promote activities such as education of farmers
on tea cultivation and to foster the development of small-scale tea growing in Kenya.
REFERENCES
H. Mukhtar and N. Ahmad, “Tea polyphenols: prevention of cancer and optimizing health,” Am J
Clin Nutr, vol. 71, no. 6, p. 1698S-1702, Jun. 2000J.
H. Weisburger, “Prevention of coronary heart disease and cancer by tea, a review,” Environ.
Health Prev. Med., vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 283-8, Jan. 2003, Kericho, Kenya.
Ho, S. C., Su, M. S., Lin, C. C., & Chiu, C. F.（2017）. Comparison of Anti-Glycation Capacity of
Two New Purple-Colored-Leaf Tea Cultivars with an Ordinary Green-Colored-Leaf Tea
Cultivar in Taiwan. Global Journal of Obesity, Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome, 4（1）, 009015.
Kumar, Soni, R. P., Katoch, M., A., Ladohiya, R., & Verma, P. （2015）. Tea: production,
composition, consumption and its potential an antioxidant and antimicrobial agent.
International Journal of Food and Fermentation.
Mae, T.（1997）.Physiological nitrogen efficiency in rice: nitrogen utilization, photosynthesis, andyield potential. Plant and soil, 196（2）,201-210.
Mishra, J., Nandi, S. K., & Palni, L. M. S.（2006）. Assessment of physiological, biochemical andgenetic fidelity with a brief review on tissue culture of tea. Tea research institute（2015）.
Annual report for the year 2015 Technology, 5（2）,95.
TGH, 2012, Tea Growers Handbook, TRFK, PO BOX 820, 20200.
Yu, J., Liu, Y., Zhang, S., Luo, L., & Zeng, L. （2021）. Effect of brewing conditions on
phytochemicals and sensory profiles of black tea infusions: A primary study on the effects ofgeraniol and β-ionone on taste perception of black tea infusions. Food Chemistry, 354, 129504.
159

The Effect of Retail Promotions on the Price Elasticityof Demand of Conventional and Organic Food Products
Martijn Wals
Advisor: Dr. Rico Ihle
Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy Group, Wageningen University

How would one react to a 20% discount on the newest electronics compared to a similar
discount for food products? Where one would heavily react to the 20% discount on electronics,
the 20% discount on food products will lead to smaller changes in consumer demand. These
differences can be explained by the price elasticity of demand which measures the
responsiveness of demand, that is, the change in demand for a commodity when its priceincreases by 1%. This responsiveness of demand can be inelastic having a value between 0 and-1 or elastic having a value of less than -1. An elastic demand indicates a demand which issensitive to price fluctuations, that is, demand reduces by a higher percentage than priceincreases.
In my research I determined the effect of promotion on the price elasticity of demand on
four different food products. The price elasticity of demand can simply be estimated by looking
at to the demand change after price fluctuations. However, spontaneous and above average
price reductions, caused by promotions, may interfere the price elasticity of demand over time.
Promotions cause large price drops and subsequent demand peaks. An illustration of thisinterference is given by the consumption of a certain necessity good, which has a constant,annual, inelastic demand. However, only it occurs that if consumers buy a certain necessity
good when it is on promotion and stockpiles it until the next promotion. Under thesecircumstances it seems like the consumer is heavily reacting to price fluctuations. Although, insome form this conclusion is correct, the annual demand of this certain product is still constant.
Hence, it is the question what can be seen as the real price elasticity of demand.
Research on promotions shows that promotions may be a problem when estimating theprice elasticity of demand. The temporary stockpiling effect, which can be caused bypromotional price reductions, may boost sales more than regular price reductions（Blattberg etal., 1995）. To better understand this problem, the price elasticity of demand can be divided intoa structural and promotional elasticity （Blattberg et al., 1995）. The structural elasticity ofdemand is the price elasticity based on regular prices changes, whereas the promotionalelasticity is based on large price drops due to promotions（Blattberg et al., 1995）.
When promotions interfere when estimating price elasticity of demand, the promotionalelasticity exceeds the structural elasticity. This assumption is hard to generalize, since researchshows a conflict of empirical results（Blattberg et al., 1995）. The conflict in empirical results
may be explained by differences between categories（Narasimhan et al., 1996）and differencesin promotion frequency of a product（Nijs et al., 2001; Walters and Bommer, 1996）.Based on theevidence of Blattberg and Wisniewski （1987）, Lattin and Bucklin （1989）, and Mulhem andLeone（1991）and the assumption that consumer demand reacts heavier to promotional prices
160

than regular price changes, this thesis assumes that the promotional elasticity exceeds the
structural elasticity of demand.
My thesis is focused on the end of the agricultural value-chain, on the stage where theprocessed food products are sold to consumers. Food consumption of developed countries, forexample the Netherlands, is inelastic（Green et al., 2013; Muhammad et al., 2011）. Although,there may be differences between conventional and organic food products. Therefore, theresearch objective of my thesis was to determine the price elasticity of demand of conventionaland organic milk, and conventional and organic pork meat, taking into account the effect ofpromotions on these products and their substitutes.
Price elasticities of demand is determined by the microeconomic theory of demand. The
microeconomic theory of demand shows that the optimal consumer choice is explained by theprice ratio of two goods which must be equal to the marginal utility of both goods. From this,Marshallian demand functions are determined, which shows that the sales of one product are
not only dependent on the price of that certain product, but also the price of the other good（s）
and consumer income. Furthermore, the promotional elasticity of demand will be explained by
the marketing mix, which consists of four elements also referred to as the “4Ps”; price, product,
place and promotion.
To reach the aim of this thesis, I used data of Statistics Netherlands, which includes thesales and price of conventional and organic milk, and conventional and organic pork meat. I
focus on these two products as both are crucial in the typical Dutch diet（Dagevos et al., 2020）.
The data has been collected in the Netherlands within a time period of 156 weeks（week 1,
2017 till week 52, 2019）. The total consumption of all food products was gathered via theaggregated demand in Dutch supermarkets. Therefore, possible promotions of certain products
in individual supermarkets are unknown. However, the data clearly shows for certain products
weeks with much lower average prices and substantially higher quantities sold, indicating thatsome supermarkets with a substantial market share promoted that product in a given week.
The microeconomic theory of demand and the marketing theory are combined todetermine a linear relationship between the sales, （cross-） price, income and （cross-）promotions of the agricultural products. The data of the sales and price of each product were
logarithmically transformed, so the price elasticity of demand could be directly estimatedthrough a regression model. Moreover, the regression, which tests the linear relationship,included dummies of a 5%-, 10% or 15% （cross-） promotion. Although, the microeconomic
theory of demand includes income, this variable is left out of the regression model, because
there were no weekly observations available. Therefore, the assumption is made that the
average income of Dutch consumers is kept constant during the research period of 2017-2019
and, so, does not have an effect on the model outcomes.
The results of my thesis show that promotions have a dampening effect on the generalprice elasticity of organic products, that is, they render remand for organic products lesselastic. This implies that when an organic product is on promotion, the consumer demand
reacts less heavily on the promotional price change than that of a regular price change when
the organic product is off promotion. This contradicts my initial hypothesis, that promotions
lead to more price elastic behavior. Furthermore, conventional and organic products are shown161

to be substitutes. However, the cross-effect of a price change of the conventional product on the
demand of organic product is larger than the other way around. Moreover, promotions of thecross-product are found to have a negative effect on the sales of the conventional product.
However, the promotion frequency could be measured in the different heights of promotions.
The magnitude of the promotion is found not to cause different effects as the results forpromotion levels of 5%, 10% and 15% did not significantly differ from each other.
The main finding of my thesis is that promotions have a dampening effect on the priceelasticity of demand for organic products, which contradicts my initial assumption that
promotions stimulate the price elasticity of demand. Therefore, more research is needed toinvestigate the reasons. Since the results have been obtained from aggregate price and demanddata, it would be interesting to use the same regressions for individual Dutch supermarkets tocompare results. Also, investigating the consumer reference points of organic productpromotions suggested by Lattin and Bucklin（1989）could also be a possible approach to checkthe robustness of my results. Future research could include weekly income data in the
regressions. This will satisfy the microeconomic theory and, perhaps, could explain a part of theestimation of the price elasticity of demand. Moreover, comparing the results with othercategories of products might be interesting to show structural differences in demand
responsiveness between product categories. Lastly, investigating demand for more organic
products would provide further evidence for the robustness of the results of my thesis, and,
therefore, indicate whether my central finding that promotions have a positive effect on thegeneral price elasticity of organic products can be generalized.
References
Blattberg, R. C., Briesch, R. and Fox, E. J.（1995）. How promotions work. Marketing science, 14（3）, 122-132.
Blattberg, R. C. and K. J. Wisniewski（1989）. Price-Induced Patterns of Competition. Marketing
Science, 8（4）,291-309.
Dagevos, H., Verhoog, D., van Horne, P., and Hoste, R.（2020）.Vleesconsumptie per hoofd van debevolking in Nederland, 2005-2019. Wageningen, Wageningen Economic Research, Nota 2020078. 14 blz.; 2 fig.; 2 tab.; 6 ref.
Green, R., Cornelsen, L., Dangour, A. D., Turner, R., Shankar, B., Mazzocchi, M. and Smith, R. D.
（2013）. The effect of rising food prices on food consumption: systematic review with metaregression. British Medical Journal, 347（7915）.
Lattin, J. M. and R. E. Bucklin（1989）. Reference Effects of Price and Promotion on Brand
Choice Behavior. Journal of Marketing Research, 26（8）,299-310.
Muhammad, A., D’Souza, A., Meade, B., Micha, R. and Mozaffarian, D.（2017）. How income andfood prices influence global dietary intakes by age and sex: evidence from 164 countries.
British Medical Journal Global Health, 2（3）.
Mulhern, F. J., & Leone, R. P.（1991）. Implicit price bundling of retail products: A multiproductapproach to maximizing store profitability. Journal of Marketing, 55（4）,63-76.
Narasimhan, C., Neslin, S. A. and Sen, S. K. （1996）. Promotional elasticities and category
characteristics. Journal of marketing, 60（2）,17-30.
Nijs, V. R., Dekimpe, M. G., Steenkamps, J. B. E. and Hanssens, D. M.（2001）. The categorydemand effects of price promotions. Marketing science, 20（1）,1-22.
Walters, R. G. and Bommer, W.（1996）.Measuring the impact of product and promotion-related
factors on product category price elasticities. Journal of Business Research, 36（3）,203-216.
162

Tackling Food Waste for a More Sustainable Food System
Iqra Amin
Advisor: Dr. Joanne Davies
University of Reading, Department of International Development

Food waste is a key global challenge, and it is estimated by the FAO （2011） thatapproximately one third of the food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally,
amounting to 1.3 billion tonnes per year, and producing 8-10% of global greenhouse gas
emissions（WEF, 2021）, contributing to global warming and climate change. The resources
used in the production of food such as land, water, labour, energy, time, and capital are alsodissipated when food is wasted, highlighting an inefficiency in the food system. Within the global
sustainable development agenda, Food waste is recognised as a critical sustainability issue
which needs to be addressed, due to the deleterious impacts it generates on the environment,
biodiversity, and natural resources, and its increasing economic and social costs. There is anurgent need to reduce food waste and its associated global impacts, with the UN Sustainable
Development Goal（SDG）for sustainable consumption and production（SDG 12, Target 12.3）
calling on per capita food waste to be halved by 2030 at both retail and consumer levels（UN,2021）. This is a vital step in the process of shifting towards the creation of a more sustainable
food system. This paper aims to discuss the food waste challenges my community faces and theinnovative approaches the University of Reading and its students have adopted to tackle theimpacts of food waste towards a more sustainable future in the food system.
The Food Waste Challenge in the UK
Within developed countries such as the UK, the vast majority of food wastage occurs at
the post-production stage along the food supply chain, at the point of consumption. UK
households waste an estimated 6.7 million tonnes of food each year, with 61% of this food waste
being avoidable（WRAP, 2008）. Consumer waste is often caused by poor purchasing and mealplanning, excess and impulse buying, confusion over ‘best-before’ and ‘use-by’ labels andpreparing food in surplus. This food could have been eaten has it been better managed, thus
there is a need for a transformation in the food system, improved education, and adoption of
more efficient and sustainable practices.
Food wastage generates environmental, social, and economic impacts within the foodsystem which needs to be tackled to increase sustainability. Environmentally, food waste
contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and subsequent climate change, with the global carbon
footprint of food waste estimated at 4.4 Gtonnes of CO2（FAO, 2015）. It also places pressure onland and water resources, which are scarce resources that can become over-exploited and inturn may affect biodiversity. Socially, food wastage impacts food security. 820 million people
globally are undernourished（HLPE, 2014）and one billion people are overfed（FAO, 2013）.
Concurrently, a quarter of the calories intended to feed the population becomes food waste in
the food supply chain（IFAD, 2017）. The coexistence of starvation, over nutrition and foodwaste presents a paradox in the global food system agenda which needs addressing,particularly as the UN has predicted that population will grow to over 9 billion by 2050,
meaning 50% more food will need to be produced. However, producing more food is not an163efficient nor sustainable solution. Food wastage represents a missed opportunity to feed agrowing population and combatting food waste can provide a vital opportunity to source thisfood and improve food security. Food wastage also generates significant economic costs along
the supply chain to producers, processors, retailers, and households. In the UK, an averagefamily wastes an equivalent of £700 every year（WRAP, 2020）, which presents an opportunity
cost for this money which could have been utilised elsewhere. In addition to the monetary costof food wastage, there are additional financial costs associated with collecting, managing, andtreating waste. It is evident that food waste results in the loss, not only of the food itself but of
all the resources that went into producing it, such as land, water, labour, and financial inputs.
Thus, tackling and reducing food wastage will reap many benefits such as improved foodsecurity, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, improved biodiversity, and savings of financial
capital to name but a few. This will act as an essential step towards the creation of a moresustainable food system.
Innovations and Education as Solutions to tackle Food Waste
Technological applications have paved the way as innovative solutions in combatting foodwaste in a simple effective manner. Students and the wider community at the University ofReading are playing their part in reducing food waste through the utilisation of two food waste
applications:（a）Too Good to Go, and（b）Olio. Both apps aim to reduce the amount of food that
ends up as waste by redistributing surplus food amongst local stakeholders in a collaborativeand concerted approach. Too Good to Go links consumers to local restaurants, supermarkets,and cafes that have excess unsold food at the end of the day. Consumers can order this surplus
food at a discounted price, preventing the food from being thrown away. This app has been a
key tool in helping restaurants cut back on food waste and has saved 2 million meals fromgoing to waste, which prevents 5000 tonnes of CO2 being emitted（Too Good to Go, 2021）. Theapp also helps to fight food insecurity and food poverty, as users can ‘pay it forward’ anddonate funds to provide meals for those in need. Olio works in a similar manner but additionally
includes the option to get surplus and unwanted food from local consumers and neighbours, in aprocess of food sharing. Redistributing surplus food as conducted through these applications not
only prevents the waste of money and resources that go into the production of the food, butalso ensures that food is available for people to eat, improving food security.
Furthermore, the University of Reading are playing a vital role in combatting the impactsof food wastage and addressing the challenges discussed in this paper, through education. They
are strategizing solutions towards a more sustainable future in the food system through its
partnership with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology in Food（EIT Food）
Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable,
healthy, and trusted（EIT Food, 2021）.Through its partnership with the University of Reading,they collaborate with students to strategize, and share innovative solutions and ideas toconfront crucial challenges in the food sector and to help build a more sustainable food system
for Europe through projects and courses. Amongst students, there is decreasing levels of
engagement and knowledge about our food, and we are often unaware and not taught of thefood levels discarded, or we lack the motivation and know-how to change food related
behaviours that can make an impact in reducing food waste. This makes it difficult to
encourage the next generation to make improved food choices as comprehension is poor. Hence
it is important we take part in educational opportunities to become aware of the global impacts
and contributions we make and what challenges we are exacerbating for us to act and adapt
164

our lifestyles accordingly in a more sustainable manner. To overcome this challenge, theUniversity of Reading have been involved in the creation of a gamified solution to tackle
household food waste habits, known as ‘Cook Clever’. Cook Clever aims to provide consumers
with the knowledge and motivation to change crucial food waste habits at home. The solution
provides useful tips and advice on how to better plan, cook or repurpose food ingredients, andprovides the opportunity for consumers to set habit goals, win points for good habits andcompete with peers in Cook Clever challenges to win prizes. This free, fun, and competitive
approach to tackling food waste motivates students to lead a more sustainable lifestyle.
The University of Reading have also run educational courses and projects with a focus onfood waste, which I have partaken in. The educational course ‘From Waste to Value: How to
Tackle Food Waste’, provided the knowledge and understanding of the causes and impacts offood waste and offered the tools to learn the strategies and actions myself as a consumer
should implement to act and make a positive difference at a personal, community and national
level, in an effective and sustainable manner. Likewise, the ‘WeValueFood’ project engaged withstudents as the next generation of consumers. Society is facing major problems such as obesityand food waste, and it is ever more important that we as consumers make improved foodchoices. This project provided a space of engagement through workshops for students toconverse, collaborate and share ideas on food issues leading to us developing strategies which
we were able to present to industry experts. The strategies encompassed supermarkets
redistributing unsold food to food banks and them embracing imperfect ‘wonky’ food items
which often are discarded in the supply chain. Both projects helped to establish a society at
Reading that is more knowledgeable and discerning about where food comes from and how it
affects our health and planet. These youth led initiatives offer sustainable actions to reduce foodwaste and improve food security that could be adapted and implemented by other stakeholders
within the global food system.
References
European Institute of Innovation and Technology.（2021）. What We Do. https://www.eitfood.
eu/eit-food-projects/
Food and Agriculture Organisation.（2011）. Food Loss and Waste Database. http://www.fao.
org/platform-food-loss-waste/flw-data/en/
Food and Agriculture Organisation.（2015）. Food wastage footprint & climate change. http://
www.fao.org/3/bb144e/bb144e.pdf
Food and Agriculture Organisation. （2013）. Food Wastage footprints. http://www.fao.org/
fileadmin/templates/nr/sustainability_pathways/docs/Factsheet_foodwastage.pdf
High Level Panel of Experts.（2014）. Food losses and waste in the context of sustainable foodsystems. A report by the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of theCommittee on World Food Security.  http://www.fao.org/3/i3901e/i3901e.pdf
International Fund for Agricultural Development. （2017）. The state of food security andnutrition in the world. http://www.fao.org/3/I7695e/I7695e.pdf
Too Good to Go.（2021）.Save the food help the planet. https://toogoodtogo.co.uk/en-gb/
World Economic Forum.（2021）. The world’s food waste problem is bigger than we thought here’s what we can do about it. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/03/global-foodwaste-solutions/
Waste and Resources Action Programme.（2008）. Food and Drink. https://wrap.org.uk/takingaction/food-drink
Waste and Resources Action Programme.（2020）. Food Waste Falls by 7% per person in three
years. https://wrap.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/food-waste-falls-7-person-three-years
United Nations.（2021）.Sustainable Development Goal 12, Ensure Sustainable Consumption and
Production Patterns. https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12165

Group M
Group theme

Agriculture
Presenters:

James Jacek, University of the Highlands and Islands
Verica Prodanovic, University of East Sarajevo
Mwakyusa Lupakisyo, Sokoine University of Agriculture
Melissa Lok Mei Teng, Universiti Putra Malaysia
Yuzu Nakano, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Chairpersons:Marvin Kibalama Bogere, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Miyuri Takahashi, Tokyo University of Agriculture167

Breaking Down Barriers Between Forestry
and Agriculture within Scotland
James Jacek
Advisor: Amanda Bryan
Scottish School of Forestry, Inverness College, University of the Highlands and Islands

In Scotland over the past 10,000 years, the relationship between people and the landscapehas helped to define the landscape and the current population. It is thought that 10,000 years
ago, the forestry cover within Scotland was approximately 50%, with the next 5,000 years
forestry cover had expanded to over 80% of the landscape（Forestry Commission Scotland,
2008）. As new land management techniques came into force the effect and new demands onland had a detrimental impact on forestry but greatly benefited agricultural land. Not only did
forestry suffer but also the people that inhabited the land. By the end of the 18th Century
forestry cover had been reduced to just under 4%（Oostoek, 2013）.
Although afforestation took place on large land holdings in the 1600s of European speciesof Larch and Firs and broadleaves species including maples, this afforestation was not
significant enough to have re-establish the significant area cover of forestry once seen in
Scotland. This management practice was to increase the revenue of the estates and was toexploit a considerable amount of ‘wastelands’ especially, on upland estates（Oostoek, 2013）.
The Highland Clearances not only greatly impacted the population of upland Scotland but
also made way for vast reduction of forestry to allow for the more profitable sheep grazing
industry which later led onto help drive the start of the industrial revolution. However as theyears have passed the probability of sheep faming and farming in general within upland
Scotland has left vast swathes of land being classed as “less favoured area”（LFA）with 65-85%of land within Scotland being given this classification（NFU Scotland, 2021）（RSPB, 2021）. This
has led to a situation where leading from the 18th century to present day has resulted in there
being close to 2.3 million sheep located in the uplands of Scotland, this is the largest number of
herbivorous mammals in Scotland and they currently outnumber deer numbers 8:1 and cattle
14:1（BTO, N/A）. The boom in sheep farming as stated before was a direct result of the need
for wool and the products it produced for the industrial revolution and was profitable, forestryon the other hand was slowly removed to allow the expansion of agricultural and for the use ofwood fuel and other uses within the industrial revolution. Currently sheep farming is lessprofitable than it was once was, which has led to a decline on sheep on upland Scotland but
unfortunately there has been a slow uptake for the forests of Scotland’s to return the forests to
pre settled farming status during the Neolithic period around 4000 years ago （Scottish
Forestry, 2019）.
The catalyst which started the new revolution of forestry planting in LFA within Scotland
was a direct result of the First World War and the need for timber for use in trench
construction to duck boards and munitions crates. This put pressure on Britain and most168

importantly Scotland’s timber reserves with the result that by 1918/9 there was very little
forestry left. This lingering issue for the government was finally recognised as a potential
strategic problem for the county as a whole and hence the Forestry Act of 1919 wasintroduced to address these issues and was the beginning of creation of the Forestry
Commission in Scotland, now Forestry and Land Scotland and Scottish Forestry （Scottish
Forestry, 2019）. Over the last 100 years Scotland’s forestry cover had increased from 4% to
19% of mainly fast-growing spruce species. This increase in forestry cover and change of land
use has come mainly from LFA agricultural land. This land use change can and has caused
conflict to occur between agriculture and forestry. To address this government policy throughthe Scottish Land Use Strategy and the Scottish Forestry Strategy has been introduced toensure there is greater integration between all land uses especially with regards to forestry
and farming.
The Scottish government has now set out targets for new woodland creation andwoodland cover to 21% by 2032（Scottish Forestry, 2019）. Although to get to this target there
will need to be further change in land use from LFA agricultural land to forestry which willcause further issues.
Forestry and woodland creation can be viewed as planting up large swathes of land withcommercial non-native conifers to meet planting targets, however this is not the only way inwhich the planting targets can be met. There is a push by the Scottish government to get
farmers into agroforestry and help diversify their business by turning poor grazing land into
productive forestry and create shelter belts and for the land to integrated into arable andgrazing land（Scottish Forestry, 2021）.Grants are given out by the Scottish government over a
5-year period for initial establishment and then maintenance costs, other incomes can comefrom selling carbon credits（Scottish Forestry, 2021）. This incentive will attract farmers to
adopt forestry, although there may be a loss in livestock numbers however the benefits canoutweigh the negatives, and in some cases there has been no loss of agricultural productivity
and adds assets to a farm. Through these incentives it is helping to achieve the planting targets
and ensure that the Land Use Strategies policies and the Scottish Forestry Strategies policies
are followed and improve on the integration of land use and environmental benefits.
It is also important that in addition to policies and incentives that there is a culturalchange in land managers. This will involve breaking down centuries of of limited integration ofland users. I have grown up around agricultural and although I am not from a farming family I
have worked on a Scottish Borders hill farm for the past 10 years and have seen the attitudes
of forestry and woodland expansion change from being very negative and not interested to
beginning to understand the importance both environmentally and economically. I believe there
was limited resources for farmers to see the benefits, also the attitude that these are two very
different industries that can be interlinked. Now with more resources available along with the
incentives and a younger generation who understand the benefits of integrated land use areallowing areas of land to be planted. Within the Scottish School of Forestry（SSF）the subjects
taught are not purely for the benefit of forestry, they focus on the wider land uses that arefound in Scotland and how best to ensure integration between all industries. With this169

knowledge and experience that I have gained through both the work placement and theeducation I have received both through the SSF and previous studies I hope to make adifference in my career to ensure planting targets are met and farming is still an important
industry within rural upland Scotland.
While I am just one individual, UHI host an annual Integrated Land Use Conference whichbrings together students from different land and natural resource management courses. Over
three days students work in mixed discipline groups on issues such as adapting to climatechange, woodland expansion or water/flood management. This enables us to share knowledge
across sectoral interests to find joint solutions to problems and to better understand the issues
we will face in the future（Engstrand and Bowditch, 2019）. It helps us to break down thebarriers to getting the most from the land that supports us.
References
BTO.（N/A）. Environmental Change in the Scottish Uplands. Retrieved from British Trust for
Ornithology: https://www.bto.org/sites/default/files/u40/Upland_change_review.pdf
Engstrad, S. and Bowditch, E. （2019） Land managers oof the future: Engaging student
perception and practice through an interdisciplinary landscape conference. In Sur les Bancs
du Paysage: Enjeux Didactiques Demarches et Outils（eds Sgard A. and Paradis, S.）9, 169188.
Forestry Commission Scotland.（2008）. Scotland’s Woodlands and the Historic Environment.
Edinburgh: Forestry Commision Scotland.
NFU Scotland.（2021）. Farming Facts. Retrieved from NFU Scotland: https://www.nfus.org.uk/
farming-facts.aspx
Oostoek, K.（2013）. Conquering the Highlands: A history of the afforestation of the Scottish
uplands. Canberra: ANU Press.
RSPB.（2021）. Farming in Scotland. Retrieved from RSPB: https://www.rspb.org.uk/about-therspb/at-home-and-abroad/scotland/farminginscotland/
Scottish Forestry. （2019）. Scotland’s Forestry Strategy 2019-2029. Edinburgh: Scottish
Forestry.
Scottish Forestry. （2021）. Farm Woodlands . Retrieved from Scottish Forestry: https://
forestry.gov.scot/support-regulations/farm-woodlands

170

Organic Animal husbandry
Verica Prodanovic
Advisor: Tatjana Krajisnik
Faculty of Agriculture, University of East Sarajevo, Department of Animal science

Organic livestock is branch of agriculture, developed as an alternative that will make itpossible to find production models in a more humane and ethically acceptable as well as
ecologically, economically and socially sustainable way, which will enable sufficient quantities ofquality and healthy food for the growing population, while respecting natural processes andmoral and ethical norms.
Dealing with the issue of organic production in livestock, it is necessary to define themethods of organic livestock（Law on Organic Production, 2013）, which are prescribed by theRegulations on methods of organic plant and livestock production.
Organic livestock production methods include:・choice of species and breeds of animals,・method of animal breeding and facilities for animal breeding, nutrition and animal health care,・transport and slaughter of animals,・handling animals procured from other farms and・the method of collecting animal species from natural habitats.
These methods start to be applied from the beginning of the conversion period.
Implementation requires a certain transitional period.
As a general principle in organic animal husbandry, it is emphasized that animal breeds
should be selected according to their ability to adapt, vitality, resistance to diseases, and these
are autochthonous breeds. According to the Livestock Act, these are: cattle: fortune-telling
cattle and bush, sheep: Vlašićka pramenka, Podveleška pramenka and Kupreška pramenka;goats: domestic Balkan horned goat; horses: Bosnian mountain horse; pigs: mangulica andpoultry: domestic chicken perch or hedgehog.（Law on Animal Husbandry, Article 40. 44/15）
The strategy for the improvement of breeds in organic breeding is based on theapplication of classical selection principles in pure breed and the application of crossbreeding
methods. Research centers, in cooperation with producers, have defined the essential
characteristics on which selection programs in organic livestock are based（Van Diepen et al.,2007）
. Traditional breeds adapted to breeding conditions are favored.Among the best examples
of successful organic meat production based on traditional breeds is the cultivation of theAberdeen Angus breed, which contributes in the best way to the wider promotion of theregion.
Selection criteria in sheep and goat breeding are good fattening abilities（fast achievementof optimal body weight of lambs for marketing）,good reproductive characteristics, resistance toinfectious lameness and parasitic infections.
In general, it can be said that all examinations of the most common problems in organizing
the organic production of sheep and goats indicate that the most difficult implementation is the171standards related to veterinary supervision. The biggest problem is the control of parasitic
infections（Rahmann et al., 2006; Taylor et al., 2012）
In progress:- project of the Ministry for the Preservation of Animal Genetic Resources, as well as twomaster’s theses, where students participate in the field by implementing the gene pool of the
autochthonous breed Gatačko goveče. Field work involves taking blood, morphometry, taking
hair, etc.
- Obtaining Halal and Organic Certificate related to the protection of the geographical origin of
15 products from BiH（Samardžić S., 2021）
Our first goal is the beginning of the use of production with reference to ecology andenvironmental protection, as well as respect for the principles of sustainable development,social, economic aspect and respect for the values of life and animal life.
The second goal of these projects is to preserve the gene pool of autochthonous animals
that we will use on organic farms to get healthy organic products that will get a protected
geographical origin and as students we had the opportunity to participate in fieldwork andtaking morphometric measures.
The challenges we are trying to respond to during the implementation of the project are
increasing the number of indigenous races, insufficient information of farmers, a large numberof legal norms that must be met as well as the fear of large initial investments in this type of
production. The implementation of the second project, which is related to the producers who
fulfilled the first project, is now only of an administrative nature for obtaining certificates andsaturation of geographical origin.
Preliminary results certainly show the gradual growth of interested farmers who, in
cooperation with the ministry and receiving subsidies from it, in order to more easily masterthe initial steps during the conversion period.
Finally, the importance of informing and involving all layers of society in our country
should be emphasized in order to leave a better and more secure future for the next
generations, because “we did not inherit the land from our ancestors, we borrowed it from ourdescendants.” We will achieve this by stop thinking about ourselves and our personal profit, andby understanding and accepting the fact that we are only a small part in a large circle of life.
References
Law on Animal Husbandry. （2015, May 21）. Retrieved from Sluzbeni Glasnik RS: https://
advokat-prnjavorac.com/zakoni/Zakon-o-stocarstvu-Republike-Srpske.pdf
Law on Organic production, Article 7.（2013）.Banjaluka: Sluzbeni Glasnik RS.
Rahman G, S. H.（2006）. Alternative strategies to prevent and control endoparasite diseases review of current scientific knowledge. Institut für ökologischen Landbau der FAL,
Trenthorst 32, 23847 Westerau, oel@fal.de.
Samardžić, S. i.（2021）. Nutritional and health aspects of the foof of the Balkans. Retrieved from
Elsavier: https://www. elsavier.com/books/nutritonal-and-health-aspects-of-food-in-thebalkans/gostin/978-0-12-820782-6
Van Dirpen P, M. L.（2007）.Livestock breeds and organic farming systems, ADAS Pwllpeiran.
172

Characterization of selected rice landraces tolerance
to flooding in Tanzania
Mwakyusa Lupakisyo
Advisor: Dr. Newton Kilasi
Sokoine University of Agriculture, Department of Crop Science and Horticulture

Rice（Oryza sativa L.）is one of the well-known important staple food crops for more thanhalf of world population（Umadevi et al., 2012）. In Tanzania, almost 20% of farmers involve in
production of rice （FAO,2015）. The crop is ranked as the third important food crop in
Tanzania after maize and cassava（FAO,2015）.FAO（2015）,rice is recognized as an important
staple food second to maize with 8% national’s caloric intake. Furthermore, the crop serves assource of employment, income and food security for millions in rural areas（IRRI, 2018）.
Despite of the value of the crop, but flooding limit production and result in high crop losses（Kwesiga et al., 2019）. Sakagami et al.（2011）reported that, flooding is the major threat in ricehusbandry for most of low-lying, non-irrigated zones. Quaye et al.（2012）added that, the stressis attributed by global climate changes as well as human activities. Most of the rice produced in
Tanzania by small scale farmers are from rain fed zones with approximate 71% while 9% and
20% come from upland and irrigated respectively（IRRI, 2018）.
Farmers are experiencing severe crop losses during germination and early seedling
growth due to flooding（Singh et al., 2020）. FAO（2015）, 74% of rice produced in Tanzania isfrom lowland rainfed zones which are prone to flooding. Kilombero flood plain farmers areexperiencing less than 2 tons/ha of rice as a result of flooding（Kwesiga et al.,2019）. Complete
submergence during germination and vegetative stage limit access to oxygen for respirationand light for photosynthesis translating to food scarcity to most Tanzanians who are reliant on
the crop （Sakagami et al.,2011）. Flooding restricts gas diffusion hampering biochemical
processes（Fukao et al., 2012）. Furthermore, Singh et al.（2020）, poor crop establishment or no
germination have been experienced in direct seeded rice areas with immediate rains soon aftersowing.
There is no any reported cultivar that is tolerant to flooding at germination and vegetativecomplete submergence in Tanzania. The identification of tolerant cultivars will increase
germination, survival and yield against flooding. Therefore, the aim of this work is to identify
rice landraces that are tolerant to anaerobic germination and complete submergence atvegetative stage.
About two hundred （200） rice landraces has been collected from different parts of
Tanzania. These cultivars will be phenotyped and genotyped with aim of identifying tolerantlines to flooding to be used by farmers. The lines will be tested for two stresses namely: anaerobic germination and vegetative submergence. The essence of assessing tolerance of thesecultivars to anaerobic germination is to increase crop stand in direct seeded system which
receive unexpected heavy rains soon after seeding. Furthermore, assessment for tolerance to173submergence at vegetative stage aim at reducing crop losses as a result of flooding at early
seedling stage.
For easy screening and saving time, the planting materials will be first screened in thescreen house. Then, initial seeds of the identified tolerant landraces will be taken for field
experiments in flood prone areas where farmers also cultivate their rice. Same landraces will be
used for the two stresses. IRRI（2021）Phenotyping protocol for abiotic stresses will be used forevaluation. A randomized completely block design（RCBD）for both field and screen house
experiments. Plastic trays will be used for screen house evaluation while field ponds will be
used for evaluation in the fields. For anaerobic germination assessments seeds will be sown
directly while for vegetative submergence.
Anoxia germination phenotypic data to be collected includes number of seeds sown per
entry, number of surviving seedlings at 3-days intervals starting at 9 days after sowing andcontinuing up to day 21 of flooding, percentage seedling survival, coleoptile length, growthparameters, yield and yield components while number of seedlings per entry before
submergence, number of survivors at 21 days after de-submergence, percentage survival,
growth parameters, yield and yield components for submergence at vegetative stage.
After screening genomic DNA from leaves will be extracted using CTAB protocol
followed by PCR amplification before running gel electrophoresis using specific primers. At theend, only cultivars having the known genes for tolerance to these stresses will be regarded as
tolerant. The identified tolerant landraces will be compared for their agronomic performanceand the good ones will be recommended to be used by farmers. Furthermore, those tolerantmaterials will be asset for future breeding like introgression into high yielding flood susceptible
varieties.
The field experiments will be held in flood prone lowland area at Kilombero flood plain in
Morogoro region and Rufiji basin involving the native farmers cultivating rice in those areas.
These zones are well known for production of rice as major crop which ensure them foodsecurity, economic gain and children access to education. The natives will be given awarenessof the importance of the experiment and are going to be employed in management practices
required in allocated time under my supervision. Most of the rice growers are depressed withlow yields and crop losses imposed by flooding. Doing the experiment will stimulate their
participation with assurance that the results will be brought back to them. Expectations of thegrowers is to get best performing submergence tolerant cultivars with their preferred traits.
The success of the program will help farmers to use known tolerant cultivars in their daily
agriculture which will increase production potential, increase food insecurity, increase income atindividual and national level while reducing cost of importing rice into the country.
References
FAO.（2015）. The rice value chain in Tanzania. A Report from the Southern highlands foodsystems programme.
Fukao, T., Yeung, E. and Bailey-Serres, J.（2012）. The Submergence Tolerance Gene SUB1A
Delays Leaf Senescence under Prolonged Darkness through Hormonal Regulation in Rice.
174

Plant Physiology. 160: 1795-1807.
International Rice Research Institute in Tanzania, 2018
Kwesiga, J. Grotelüschen, K. Neuhoff, D. Senthilkumar, K. Döring, T.F and Becker, M.（2019）.
Site and Management Effects on Grain Yield and Yield Variability of Rainfed Lowland Rice inthe Kilombero Floodplain of Tanzania. Agronomy.2019 （10）:632. https://doi.org/10.3390/
agronomy9100632
Quaye, W. Yawson, R.M, Ayeh, E.S. and Yawson, I.（2012）. Climate change and food security:
the role of biotechnology. African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development
12: 6354-6364.
Sakagami, J. and Kawano, N.（2011）.Survival of submerged rice in a flood-prone region of west
Africa. Tropics 20: 56-65.
Singh, A., Singh, Y., Mahato, A.K., Jayaswa, P. K., Singh, S., Septiningsih, E.M and Rai, V.（2020）.
Allelic sequence variation in the Sub1A, Sub1B and Sub1C genes among diverse ricecultivars and its association with submergence tolerance. Journal of Scientific Reports 10:1-18.
Umadevi, M. Pushpa, R. Sampathkumar, K.P. and Bhowmik, D. （2012）. Rice traditional
medicinal plant in India. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 1: 6-12.

175

Application of Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria（PGPR）
on Cucumis melo to Enhance Plant Growth and Fruit Quality
Melissa Lok Mei Teng
Advisor: Associate Professor Dr. Juwaidah Sharifuddin
Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture,
Universiti Putra Malaysia

Cucumis melo is known as rockmelon that belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family and is oneof the commercial fruits. Rockmelon production reached up to 6,979.38 metric tons in 2019
（DOA Malaysia, 2019）. Rockmelon has high economic value but is not enough to fulfill the
consumers’ demand in Malaysia（Rasmuna et al., 2015）. Nik and Rasmuna（2016）reported thatthe yields of rockmelon are highly affected by pests and diseases and environmental issues. The
pest and disease damage in the agriculture sector causes a 20 to 40 percent decrease in annual
global agricultural yield, which leads to around $290 billion global economic loss every year
（Rome, 2019）. The common practice to control pests and diseases in Malaysia is applying
chemical pesticides. In 2019, Malaysian farmers spent RM 1.5 billion for purchasing
agrochemical products（Müller, 2020）. Nevertheless, the accumulated agrochemicals in soil andwater can adversely affect the environment and ecosystem and even affecting human healthdue to insufficient food safety（Falconer et al., 2018）. In addition to this issue, the world iscurrently facing climate change, which can significantly lead to quality and quantity losses in
global crop production （EPA,2016）. These situations posed a significant challenge in thesustainable production of rockmelon in the country.
Hence, introducing plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria（PGPR）is an environmentallyfriendly way to increase rockmelon production in Malaysia. PGPR is a group of bacteria thatlives in the rhizosphere or colonizes the root, symbiotic relationship with the host plant. PGPR
could serve as a biofertilizer and biocontrol agent, increasing the yield when reducing
agrochemical usage （Vessey, 2003; Antoun and Kloepper, 2001）. However, there is limited
research on the application of PGPR on rockmelon plant growth and fruit quality. Bacillus
subtilis and Bacillus tequilensis as local PGPR strains were selected for the experiment because
they have beneficial effects on plant growth and yield on various crops, namely oil palm, sweet
potato, banana and rice （Tan et al., 2014; Rakiba et al. 2020）. This study evaluated theapplication of single and mixed inocula of B. subtilis and B. tequilensis on plant growth and fruit
quality of rockmelon. The study has shown that PGPR inoculated plants had a better plant
growth performance and produced good fruit quality than uninoculated plants. Mixed with B.
subtilis and B. tequilensis inoculation significantly increased 37% root volume and 65% tolerance
to disease compared to uninoculated plants. Moreover, single B. subtilis and mixed inocula
inoculation produced high quilty rockmelon fruit that met Malaysia’s market standard, whichfruit weight and sweetness were above 1.5 kg and 10% sweetness. Thus, it can be concluded
even under biotic and abiotic stress, introducing PGPR in rockmelon cultivation can enhance176and improve plant growth and fruit quality that achieved local market standards.
Even PGPR applications can improve different crop yields, Malaysian farmers do not use
the application widely in production as the awareness of this technique is relatively low.
Nowadays, B. subtilis is available in the Malaysian market. Therefore, the Malaysian
government, agriculture extension agents, non-government organizations（NGOs）, and privatecompanies should promote PGPR applications to local farmers through agricultural extension
services by comparing without and with PGPR application in farm practices to show its
benefits. For example, common rockmelon cultivation is correlated positively to agrochemical
usage to ensure yield production. This farm practice has a relatively high production cost andcrop less tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress and might bear high losses when having pest anddisease outbreaks and natural disasters. In contrast, PGPR inoculation in the cultivation can
reduce agrochemical usage and improve crop yield under biotic and abiotic stress; thus, it can
reduce production costs and achieve sustainable farming.
In the 21st century, social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have become
familiar. It is the most convenient and influenceable method to create public attention.
Moreover, government agencies should cooperate with private sectors and NGOs. For example,
Persatuan Lestari Alam Malaysia is an NGO collaborating with the governments and otherorganizations that promote sustainable and urban farming community services, especially in
Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Hence, the public will be more concerned about the agriculture,environment, ecosystem, food safety and security issues.
In a nutshell, the application of B. subtilis is realistic in Malaysia’s farming to increase
quality crop yield. The farmers, governments, NGOs, producers and communities must work
together to ensure PGPR getting well-known. The application is beneficial to farmers to
improve the crop yield under biotic and abiotic stress, reduce the production cost in purchasing
agrochemical products and achieve agriculture sustainability. Furthermore, PGPR promotes
food safety and security and protects the environment and ecosystem to the public.
References
Antoun, H., & Kloepper, J. （ 2 0 0 1）. Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria （ PGPR）.
Encyclopedia of Genetics, Academic Press, 1477-1480.
Department of Agriculture Malaysia. （2019）. Fruit Crop Statistic Malaysia 2019. Malaysia:
Department of Agriculture Malaysia.
Falconer, L., Telfer, T., Pham, K. L., & Ross, L. （3018）. GIS Technologies for Sustainable
Aquaculture.（B. Huang, Ed.）Comprehensive Geographic Information Systems, Elsevier, 2（14）, 290-314. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.10459-2.
FAMA.（2012）. Kualiti Rock Melon Berpandukan Malaysian Standard. Retrieved from FAMA:
http://www.fama.gov.my/documents/20143/0/rock+melon+red.pdf/3f831fc5-993a-3348-82dce6d7fa128cdf
Müller, J.（2020, November 27）. Volume of pesticides used in Malaysia from 2009 to 2018.
Retrieved from Statista: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1101033/malaysia-pesticide-usevolume/#statisticContainer
Nik, R. N., & Rasmuna, M.（2016）.Overview of Melon Industry in Malaysia. Food and Fertilizer
177

Techenology for the Asian and Pacific Region.
Rakiba, S., Tan, A. K., Mohd Rafii, Y., Halimi, M. S., & Arolu, A. F.（2020）.Effect of Salt-Tolerant
Bacterial Inoculations on Rice Seedlings Differing in Salt-Tolerance under Saline Soil
Conditions. Agronomy MDPI, 10（1030）.
Rasmuna, M., Mohd, S. N., Mohd, Z., & Siti, Z. （2015）. Kajian Menanda Aras Teknologi
Pengeluaran Tembikai. Laporan Projek Sosioekonomi. Pusat Penyelidikan Ekonomi dan Sains
Sosial, MARDI, Serdang.
Rome.（2019, April 3）. New standards to curb the global spread of plant pests and diseases.
Retrieved from Food And Agriculture Organization of The United Nations: http://www.fao.
org/news/story/en/item/1187738/icode/
Tan, K., Radziah, O., Halimi, ,. M., Khairuddin, A., Habib, S., & Shamsuddin, Z.（2014）. Isolation
and Characterization of Rhizobia and Plant Growth Prmoting Rhizobacteria （PGPR） and
Their Effects On Growth of Rice Seedlings. Science Pulications, 1（45）.
United Stated Environmental Protection Agency（EPA）.（2016, October 6）.Climate Impacts on
Agriculture and Food Supply. Retrieved from United Stated Environmental Protection
Agency （EPA）: https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/climate-impacts/climate-impactsagriculture-and-food-supply_.html
Vessey, J. K.（2003）. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria as biofertilizer. Plant and Soil, 255,
571-586.

178

The CHINAMPAS～ Aztec technology will help developing Agriculture ～Yuzu Nakano
Adviser: Dr. Maki Hayashida
Tokyo University of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Animal Science

From this year’s ISS theme, I would like to talk about agricultural technology that createsa sustainable environment. During the summer vacation of my freshman year of university, I
went to Mexico for a short studying abroad program. During my trip, I encountered a farming
method called “Chinampas”, which is based on water cultivation, in the surroundings of the lake
Sochimilco. This farming method has been practiced since the Aztec era（Yoshida Taro, 2010）.
I was fascinated by this method of farming because I had never seen anything like it before.
Since the Aztec era, this method of farming has involved assembling the soil at the bottomof the lake and mixing it with vegetable scraps or livestock dungs（Yoshida Taro, 2010）. Thissoil forms square cubes used as seed bed called “BIO-SOIL”. Only selected seedlings are thenused to grow vegetables. Because of the lake bottom soil, fish droppings and carcasses are also
used to nourish the soil, and farming without chemical fertilizers helps to maintain a sustainable
environment. “BIO-SOIL” has three useful properties. It is productive, organism- and diseaseresistant（Thurston, 1990）. Because of these, the Chinampas method can produce crops more
efficiently than ordinary soil and makes cultivation possible all year round in the region.
However, there are two issues that need to be addressed. The first is the use of
eutrophication water, which is unsuitable for agriculture. This is caused by the use sewage
collected from urban areas. Therefore, the local farmers use a device called “BIO-FILTER” tomake the water a little more usable for agriculture. Water eutrophication inhabits the growthof aquatic plants and at the same time unbalances the nutrients in the soil. Therefore, water
circulation using this device is necessary in order to use the soil for agriculture. Secondly, thenumber of farmers who use this farming method is decreasing. With the development ofground transportation, the number of people using the lake is decreasing. The current situationis that the phenomenon of using the lake makes it difficult to pass on the tradition.
So, I would like to develop this farming method again in Mexico and make it popular as
one of the farming methods in other developing countries. In order to do this, we need to show
small and medium farmers that this farming method is productive by using square cube-shaped
seedlings and growing vegetables. Then, by selling the seedlings to small and medium farmers,
they can learn about the technique and at the same time stabilize their income through organic
vegetable production. In addition, the seedlings can be used by ordinary households asvegetable gardens, which will help passing on the tradition.
I believe that this method of farming can be applied to areas where there is a lot of
rainfall. My goal is to share this method of farming with as many people as possible so thatthey will become interested in it and realize that this method helps more stable livelihood for179

farmers.
References
Yoshida Taro （2010）“メキシコの伝統農業 チナンパス”．https://agroecology.typepad.jp/
blog/2010/04/ メキシコの伝統農業チナンパス-.html）
Thurston. H. David （ 1 9 9 0 ） “PLANT DISEASE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES OF
TRADITIONAL FARMERS”. http://www.tropag-fieldtrip.cornell.edu/tradag/Tradit_1.html

180MATERIALSTokyo Declaration
International Students Summit Action Plan
Establishment International Students Forum
Establishing Global Network for Environment,
Food and Agriculture
Mission Statement of International Students Forum（ISF）
Acknowledgement

181

TOKYO DECLARATIONInternational Students Summit on Food, Agriculture and Environment
Date: November 19 - 20, 2001
Venue: Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan

In commemoration of 110th Anniversary of the Founding of Tokyo University of Agriculture, an International
Students Summit on Food, Agriculture and Environment in the New Century is held. Students from twelve
countries and area in the world participated and discussed about present conditions and future issues on food,agriculture and environment. With this opportunity, we air our opinions and views raised in this Summit
documented in this Tokyo Declaration, which we propose to the world.
1. Agriculture carries an important role of producing food for mankind to live. With the remarkable
population increase since the 1950s, food production has been greatly increased through the Green
Revolution, but negative effects to the environment and health occurred due to the intensive use ofchemical fertilizers and agricultural pesticides. For now and the coming years, global food production
increase and poverty alleviation are vital and agriculture plays an important role. “Therefore, we aim atsustainable development in the New Century through the recognition of the value of agriculture as a life
industry, and the respect of the unique ecosystem and wisdom of each region. Through the collaboration
between traditional agriculture knowledge and wisdom, and modern science and technology, we endeavor
to develop environment-friendly technologies and production systems. Eventually, we hope to develop andpromote a new form of organic agriculture which will meet social, economic and environmental
requirements.”
2. Based on science and technology development, various new technologies are being developed and spread in
the agricultural field. Among them, biotechnology, especially Genetically Modified Organisms（GMO）is
considered the mainstream technology. Consumers also have strong concerns regarding GM crops andfoods. “Therefore, we recognize the potentials of biotechnology including GMO based on judgment withright knowledge. At the same time, we, as agricultural students, need to study and research more about
the safety of biotechnology especially GMO in relation to human health and environment, and we have arole of disseminating result-related information to consumers.”
3. In each region, history gave birth to food culture and molded people. By definition, food should beconsistently safe from production to consumption. “Therefore, we create a new system wherein we cancontinuously be supplied and be able to consume safe foods. Each actor in the system, based on the social
infrastructure provided and improved by the government, should consider the importance of safety issues
such as pesticide residues at the production level, and post harvest and food additive usage problems at theprocessing and distribution levels. At the same time, we, as consumers, must think better of healthy
regional food culture and are urged to cooperate and understand the added costs for commodities that are
produced in a safe and environmentally friendly way.”
4. Nowadays, although trade liberalization is progressing under the WTO system, all countries and areas do
not have access to fair food distribution because economic infrastructure and social infrastructure gaps still
exist. “Therefore, we promote Regional Self-sufficiency mainly for staple foods by making use of the uniqueecosystems and regional individuality from the local point of view. Then, in the global point of view, foodself-sufficiency in the whole of Asia can be achieved if food self-sufficiency is promoted in each area.”
5. In the years to come, we, the students have a huge role to play. More international cooperation is
encouraged through human resource exchange and sharing knowledge to overcome barriers such as
academic disciplines and geographic borders. “Therefore, we, as the core group consisting of students fromthirteen（13）countries and areas, aim to create an International Students Network. Also, we share a newand same value, wherein we need to create a new social system where an environmentally benefiting andsafe food production, distribution, processing and consumption exist.”
In realization of this Tokyo Declaration, we take an oath to make an International Students Summit Action Planfor each country and area.
November 20, 2001
Tokyo
182

International Students Summit Action Plan

In line with the Tokyo Declaration adopted during the 1st International Students Summit organizedby the Tokyo University of Agriculture held last November 19-20, 2001, the action plan has been drawn
up in this 2nd International Students Summit. As part of the future generation, we students commit
ourselves to the following actions.
General Actions
 We shall study issues of food, agriculture and environment in holistic manners. We shall serve as abridge between producers, consumers and professionals for the betterment of the society.
 We shall not limit ourselves to studying; we shall raise our own awareness and put our ideas into
practice.
 We shall reconsider and emphasize the cultural aspect of agriculture.
 We shall appreciate and conserve our respective traditional technologies and institutions.
Specific Actions
Environmental Conservation
 We shall study and make public the roles and values of agriculture and environment, by participatingin farm training and the like in rural areas.
 We shall conduct various campaigns and promotions of the present condition and prospects ofagriculture and agricultural communities; and deepen consumers’ understanding and interest on
agriculture and environment.
 We shall vigorously promote environmentally friendly agriculture such as organic agriculture forestablishing the system of stable supply of safe food.
Biotechnology
 We shall encourage unbiased research and undertaking. We shall publicize scientific information andresearch results about biotechnology.
 We shall vigilantly investigate food biotechnology such as GMO and inform the public about theresults.
Food Safety We shall review our respective dietary life, conduct surveys and research on food from farm to table,
and update the public about recent findings.
 We shall encourage strict labeling of food. We shall charge appropriate social responsibilities to any
company found to have committed food safety violation.
Food Security
 We shall reduce food wastes. We shall avoid over consumption to conserve resources and promotehealth.
 We shall consume what is needed rather than what is demanded, on the basis of energy-saving local
production and local consumption framework.
 We shall promote home production of food using any available space.
Students Network
 We shall establish the “International Students Forum,” on food, agriculture and environment.
 As a body, we shall actively lobby and take actions on relevant issues, and represent youth in national
and international conferences.
The above action plan shall serve as the basis for the country or area level action plans to be madeby students of the respective participating university. Thus, we urge the participating universities tomake their respective action plan as soon as possible.
November 17, 2002
Tokyo, Japan  
183

Establishing International Students Forum（ISF）

Agricultural science plays a vital role in solving the fundamental problems of human beings inrelation to food, environment, human health, and natural resources and energy. Because food production
and consumption systems are closely related to the condition of the natural environment, the stage of
economic development and food culture in each country and area, their patterns and problems reflect regional
characteristics, requiring a multiple region-oriented approach.
Tokyo University of Agriculture organized the International Students Summit on Food, Agriculture
and Environment in the New Century in 2001 and adopted the “Tokyo Declaration”．
In line with the action plan adopted at the 2nd International Students Summit in 2002, we hereby
agree to organize the International Students Forum（ISF）, a students’ network for the betterment of food,agriculture, and environment problems.
1. Objective
International Students Forum （ISF） promotes information exchange and discussion among the students ofagricultural and other related sciences, in order to solve the problems common to human beings, such asenvironmental conservation, development of harmonious food production and establishment of food safety.
2. Organization
・ ISF consists of Committees of International Students Forum set up in the participating universities.
・ Members of the respective ISF Committees play an active part while in school and resign from ISF
automatically at their graduation.
・ Each ISF Committee decides the matters on the management respectively in each country and area.
3. Role・ ISF Members constantly make effort toward solutions of the problems common to human beings such as
world environmental conservation, promotion of sustainable food production and establishment of foodsafety.
・ ISF Members exchange information and opinions via the Internet.（Internet International Conference）
・ Representatives of ISF committees in the respective universities get together on a regular basis and holdan international conference to present the results of research and study.（International Students Summit,
ISS）
4. Activities
・ ISF Members play an active role as students for solutions of food, agriculture and environment problems.
・ ISF Members work in accordance with the common theme agreed upon at the International Students
Summit for the whole year.
・ ISF Members are expected to present the results of the previous year’s activity and decide on the common
theme for the following year.
5. Participating Universities◦ Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil◦ China Agricultural University, China◦ Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan◦ University Autonoma Chapingo, Mexico◦ Wageningen University, Holland◦ University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines◦ Kasetsart University, Thailand◦ Hanoi Agricultural University, Vietnam◦ The University of British Columbia, Canada◦ Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia◦ Kyungpook National University, Korea◦ Mongolian State University of Agriculture, Mongolia◦ The State Agriculture University of La Molina, Peru
◦ National Chung-Hsing University, Taiwan◦ Michigan State University, USA

6. Secretariat
Secretariat of International Students Forum is set up at NODAI Center for International Programs, Tokyo
University of Agriculture to take care of related administrative matters.


November 17, 2002
Tokyo, Japan  
184

Establishing Global Network for Environment, Food and Agriculture（Global NEFA）

Since 2001, the International Students Summit（ISS）has been the venue for student
discussions on relevant global issues on food, agriculture and environment. Due to the callfor a students’ network as documented in the adopted “Tokyo Declaration” and “Action
Plan”, the International Students Forum（ISF）was established in 2002. In total, there havebeen more than 400 student-participants from around the world. Most of us have alreadygraduated and are now part of the working society. Using the knowledge and experience wegained in the ISS, we are now playing an active role in different fields in various countries.
However, there have been limited opportunities to meet and exchange information among
ourselves. Therefore, we have established the “Global Network for Environment, Food andAgriculture（Global NEFA）” as an alumni association of ISS/ISF.
Objective
Based on the adopted “Tokyo Declaration” and “Action Plan”, the organization aims tocontribute to the sustainable development of the international society.
Membership
Membership is initially open to all past ISF members or ISS participants who agree tothe objectives of the organization. Other interested persons can join the organization
through a recommendation of members.
Activities
・Manage the website and mailing list
・Provide information related to employment and graduate study opportunities forstudents
・Organize study meetings, symposiums, and similar activities
・Promote information exchange
・Hold annual general meetingNovember 25, 2005

Tokyo, Japan

185

Mission Statement of International Students Forum（ISF）

ISF is an international network of students which encourages cooperation, discussion andresearch to aid in the sustainable development of food, agriculture and environment into the
future. ISF allows students to use their knowledge and expertise in their field of study topromote collective action, which will result in the unity of our global food system and ourenvironment.
We have recognized that in order to implement the objectives of the ISF within our
respective countries and area, we must consider the following plans of action:
1. The ISF joint communique and mission statement must be translated into the languageof the participants’ countries of origin.
2. A clear explanation of the objectives and mission of ISF must be placed online.
3. A pamphlet including the objectives and mission statement of ISF should be circulated tothe members of ISF, in the language of the participant’s countries of origin.
4. A newsletter should be delivered regularly to past and present ISS participants. This
newsletter would include updates from alumni and the ISF.
We have recognized that in order to improve the current structure of the ISS, thefollowing ideas must be implemented:
1. Establish the ISF in each partner university.
2. Support of the ISS student presenters must be maintained, both through the partner
universities and ISF-Japan.
3. Create new partnerships with universities, in order to represent population distribution
around the world.
4. Promote ISS earlier in the school year, in order to generate a new participant base.
Through the implementation of these suggestions, we believe that the promotion of thesustainability of food, agriculture and environment will be improved.



November 30, 2007

International Students SummitTokyo University of Agriculture, Japan186

Acknowledgment

The onslaught of COVID-19 is still forcing us to be patient and restrictive in various
activities. This is painful, however, on the other hand, it has also opened up new educational
possibilities for us; for the first time, we are able to hold the “International Students Summit on
Food, Agriculture and Environment (ISS)” online, which allows a wider audience around theworld to see the students’ discussions.
It would be great if the students could share their activities and ideas, and find new
perspectives that they cannot attain from their original ground. We hope the awareness andrelationships gained through the ISS will form a new path of agriculture and humanosphere in
the near future.
Our grateful thanks go to all those who have helped us put together the 20th ISS.
We are deeply obliged to the ISS presenters who have provided superb content in theirareas of study. We are also indebted to the Technical Advisors of each presenter and TokyoNODAI Committee for Global Education（国際教育専門委員会）for giving valuable academic
guidance to the ISS presenters.
We would also particularly like to thank the chairpersons, general chairpersons, and all
Tokyo NODAI student groups who tirelessly have dedicated in preparing the 20th ISS, which isheld in a completely new way and therefore full of uncertainties.
Lastly, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the valuable audience for making
this event a fruitful and enriching experience for all.

187

Center
for forInternational
Programs
CenterGlobal Initiatives
Tokyo University of Agriculture
1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya, Tokyo, 156-8502, Japan
Tel : 03-5477-2560 Fax : 03-5477-2635
e-mail : isf@nodai.ac.jp website : http://www.nodai.ac.jp/cip/iss

Percentage of Waste Paper pulp 70%